Close the refining loophole

Ukrainian, British, and European NGOs are calling on the US Congress to close a 'refining loophole' that allows Russian oil to enter the US market after being refined in third countries, primarily India. The NGOs argue that the US should ban refined products from any refinery that has imported Russian crude oil within the previous six months to reduce Russian export revenues and limit Russia's ability to fund its war in Ukraine.

• The US currently prohibits direct imports of Russian oil, but a loophole allows Russian oil to continue flowing into the US, mainly through India, by being refined in other countries first.
• The NGOs propose that the US ban imports of refined products from any refinery that has imported Russian crude oil in the last six months.
• Experts suggest that implementing this ban is unlikely to affect US gas prices because the volumes of oil involved are marginal for the United States.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Close the refining loophole. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/close-the-refining-loophole/

Chicago

Global Witness. Close the refining loophole. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/close-the-refining-loophole/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Close the refining loophole |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/close-the-refining-loophole/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndclose, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Close the refining loophole}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/close-the-refining-loophole/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }