Canada will maintain Russian oil sanctions, despite 30-day U.S. pause: Carney

By Canadian Press on March 13, 2026.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will maintain its sanctions on Russia and its shadow fleet of oil transports, despite U.S. President Donald Trump easing sanctions.

The United States placed a 30-day waiver on its Russian oil sanctions today in response to oil price shocks caused by the war in Iran.

Carney made the comments at a news conference in Bardufoss, Norway, alongside the leaders of Norway and Germany.

The three leaders all agreed that sanctions are necessary to maintain pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, a conflict that has raged on now for more than four years.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says six out of seven of the G7 leaders on a conference call a few days ago agreed they should not ease their Russian sanctions.

Merz says he was a “little bit surprised” to hear this morning that the American government had decided otherwise.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.

— With files from David Baxter in Bardufoss, Norway, and The Associated Press

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press

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