Almost two weeks ago, the USA lifted sanctions on Russian oil, which is already loaded on tankers at sea. The US justified this move by trying to respond to the rise in prices caused by tensions in the Middle East. According to several European leaders, this “extra money” can help Russia finance the continuation of the war.
According to Bessent, the canceled sanctions should rather harm Russia. The United States is counting on the fact that this step will contribute to the stabilization of world oil prices and thus prevent their significant growth.
“The question is what is better? Will Russia get more money if the price of oil reaches $150 and they get 70% of it, i.e. $105, or if the price of oil stays below $100? In that case, they will get less money,” Ukrainska Pravda quotes the theory of the minister. According to Bessent, it is more advantageous to keep oil prices low even at the cost of Russia selling more oil.
According to Bessent, the estimated benefit for Russia is about two billion dollars. According to him, it is also a negligible amount for Russia. “Our analysis shows that the maximum additional amount Russia could receive is $2 billion, which corresponds to one day of the budget of the Russian Federation,” he said.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said last week that the temporary easing of US sanctions on Russian oil can bring Moscow up to 10 billion dollars, which it will use mainly for the production of weapons and drones.
