Treasury · Sunday, September 20, 2026
Ethiopia sanctions emergency expires; OFAC opens Lukoil sale talks license
The File desk · Sep 20, 2026, 10:13 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed (OFAC recent-actions page, Sept. 18, 2026)
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Friday that the national emergency declared in Legal instrument A 2021 order that let Treasury freeze U.S.-touching assets of people and groups tied to the Ethiopia crisis. OFAC says that national emergency has now expired and related list entries were removed. Legal instrument An OFAC license that authorizes certain talks and contingent contracts for selling Lukoil International GmbH, plus related maintenance activities.Executive Order 14046 — Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia (Sept. 17, 2021)
Russia-related General License 131J (Sept. 18, 2026)
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Friday that the national emergency declared in Legal instrument A 2021 order that let Treasury freeze U.S.-touching assets of people and groups tied to the Ethiopia crisis. OFAC says that national emergency has now expired and related list entries were removed.Executive Order 14046 — Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia (Sept. 17, 2021)
Legal instrument A 2021 order that let Treasury freeze U.S.-touching assets of people and groups tied to the Ethiopia crisis. OFAC says that national emergency has now expired and related list entries were removed.Executive Order 14046 — Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia (Sept. 17, 2021)
The office removed Ethiopia-related names from the Specially Designated Nationals list, including Eritrean entities and individuals named on the page, and took down related frequently asked questions.
Separately, OFAC issued Legal instrument An OFAC license that authorizes certain talks and contingent contracts for selling Lukoil International GmbH, plus related maintenance activities.Russia-related General License 131J (Sept. 18, 2026)
That license authorizes certain transactions to negotiate and enter contingent contracts for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH and related maintenance work.
The office also updated two Russia-related frequently asked questions, numbered 1224 and 1225.
What is still unknown or disputed
- The full text beyond the title on the recent-actions page; any same-day Treasury narrative press release beyond OFAC’s action page.
Legal instrument
Russia-related General License 131J (Sept. 18, 2026)
An OFAC license that authorizes certain talks and contingent contracts for selling Lukoil International GmbH, plus related maintenance activities.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Expiration of Emergency With Respect to the Situation in Ethiopia; Ethiopia-related Designations Removals; Issuance of Amended Russia-related General License and Associated Frequently Asked Questions
Office of Foreign Assets Control · September 18, 2026
The national emergency declared in Executive Order (E.O.) 14046 of September 17, 2021… has expired. … Separately, OFAC is issuing
, "Authorizing Certain Transactions for the Negotiation of and Entry Into Contingent Contracts for the Sale of Lukoil International GmbH and Related Maintenance Activities."Legal instrument
Russia-related General License 131J (Sept. 18, 2026)
An OFAC license that authorizes certain talks and contingent contracts for selling Lukoil International GmbH, plus related maintenance activities.
https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260918