"RUSAL has felt the impact of US sanctions because of its entanglement with Oleg Deripaska, but the US government is not targeting the hardworking people who depend on RUSAL and its subsidiaries," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is quoted as saying in the release. “RUSAL has approached us to petition for delisting. Given the impact on our partners and allies, we are issuing a general license extending the maintenance and wind-down period while we consider RUSAL’s petition.”
READ MORE: France, Germany, Italy, UK Reportedly Want US to Ease Anti-Russian Sanctions
The Treasury Department said in its updated frequently asked questions section that OFAC could consider further sanctions relief for Rusal under certain circumstances, particularly if Oleg Deripaska gives up control of the country.
On April 6 the US imposed economic sanctions on 38 Russian businessmen and senior government officials in response to an alleged poisoning attack on the country's former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK. Oleg Deripaska's company RUSAL has suffered the most from the recent sanctions.
RUSAL is Russia's biggest aluminum producer and one of the world's biggest suppliers of the metal, as well as alumina. Its production is traded on the world's most prominent commodities markets. The company owns mines, refineries and smelters not only in Russia, but also all over the world, for example in Ireland and Jamaica.
