The Treasury Department has quietly issued an exception to its own Russian sanctions list, allowing transactions with Lukoil-branded gas stations that are outside Russia through April 29, 2026. On paper, it’s a small and specific waiver. In practice, it’s Washington acknowledging a problem that it can’t actually solve without creating another. Lukoil’s retail footprint stretches far beyond Russia’s borders. It has around 200 stations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York—all of which would have been stymied…