Putin threatens Russia could cut oil output over West’s price cap
President Vladimir Putin says Russia will refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes the West’s ‘stupid’ price cap on its oil.
09 December 2022 - 17:23
by Vladimir Soldatkin and Guy Faulconbridge
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Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: REUTERS
Moscow — Russia, the world’s biggest exporter of energy, could cut oil production and will refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes the West’s “stupid” price cap on Russian oil, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
The Group of Seven major powers, the EU and Australia last week agreed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil after EU members overcame resistance from Poland.
“As for our reaction, I have already said that we simply will not sell to those countries that make such decisions,” Putin told reporters in a news conference in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
“We will think, maybe, even about a possible, if necessary ... reduction in production.”
Putin, who rules the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and the largest gas exporter, said Russia had a production agreement with other members of the Opec+ oil producers’ club, so such a drastic step was still only a possibility.
“We are thinking about this, there are no solutions yet. And concrete steps will be outlined in a decree from the president of Russia that will be released in the next few days,” Putin said.
Selling oil and gas to Europe has been one of the main sources of Russia’s foreign currency earnings since Soviet geologists found oil and gas in the swamps of Siberia in the decades after World War 2.
Putin dismissed the West’s attempt to squeeze Russian finances, saying the $60 price cap corresponded to the price at which Russia was selling oil.
“It all boils down to about this figure,” Putin said. “So don’t worry about the budget.”
The price for Urals blend crude on Friday was around $53 per barrel, according to Reuters data.
The Kremlin chief cautioned that attempts by the West to impose a price cap would lead to the global collapse of the oil industry and then a catastrophic rise in prices.
“This will lead to the collapse of the industry itself, because the consumer will always insist that the price be lower. The industry is already underinvested, underfunded, and if we listen only to consumers, then this investment will be reduced to zero,” Putin said.
“All this will lead at some stage to a catastrophic surge in prices and to the collapse of the global energy sector. This is a stupid proposal, ill-conceived and poorly thought-out.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Putin threatens Russia could cut oil output over West’s price cap
President Vladimir Putin says Russia will refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes the West’s ‘stupid’ price cap on its oil.
Moscow — Russia, the world’s biggest exporter of energy, could cut oil production and will refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes the West’s “stupid” price cap on Russian oil, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
The Group of Seven major powers, the EU and Australia last week agreed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil after EU members overcame resistance from Poland.
“As for our reaction, I have already said that we simply will not sell to those countries that make such decisions,” Putin told reporters in a news conference in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
“We will think, maybe, even about a possible, if necessary ... reduction in production.”
Putin, who rules the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and the largest gas exporter, said Russia had a production agreement with other members of the Opec+ oil producers’ club, so such a drastic step was still only a possibility.
“We are thinking about this, there are no solutions yet. And concrete steps will be outlined in a decree from the president of Russia that will be released in the next few days,” Putin said.
Selling oil and gas to Europe has been one of the main sources of Russia’s foreign currency earnings since Soviet geologists found oil and gas in the swamps of Siberia in the decades after World War 2.
Putin dismissed the West’s attempt to squeeze Russian finances, saying the $60 price cap corresponded to the price at which Russia was selling oil.
“It all boils down to about this figure,” Putin said. “So don’t worry about the budget.”
The price for Urals blend crude on Friday was around $53 per barrel, according to Reuters data.
The Kremlin chief cautioned that attempts by the West to impose a price cap would lead to the global collapse of the oil industry and then a catastrophic rise in prices.
“This will lead to the collapse of the industry itself, because the consumer will always insist that the price be lower. The industry is already underinvested, underfunded, and if we listen only to consumers, then this investment will be reduced to zero,” Putin said.
“All this will lead at some stage to a catastrophic surge in prices and to the collapse of the global energy sector. This is a stupid proposal, ill-conceived and poorly thought-out.”
Reuters
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