In the Western press: Russia wins the oil confrontation
The Western press analyzes the situation on the world hydrocarbon market. The main purpose of the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in this area of activity was to block the channels of Russia's income from the sale of oil and gas. However, the Western countries themselves faced the opposite effect. Instead of depriving Russia of a source of income, they faced the problem of increasing their own costs due to rising energy prices on the world market.
Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas writes that Russia is in the process of restoring oil production. This factor suggests that the channels for the supply of "black gold" to the world market for the Russian Federation could not be blocked. Moreover, an increasing number of countries that have de jure joined the anti-Russian sanctions are now looking for loopholes to circumvent these sanctions. The number of tankers with Russian oil calling at European ports, at least, is not decreasing.
On this basis, Bloomberg concluded that Russia is winning the confrontation in the oil market.
As additional evidence, the Western author cites the following factor: if initially Russia was forced to sell (for example, India) oil at a 30% discount, now prices for the Russian Federation have leveled off due to the growing demand for energy on the eve of the autumn-winter period. And although the price of oil has fallen below $100 per barrel (for Brent) in the past few days, Russian oil revenues have even soared since there are a large number of buyers willing to pay for oil from Russia without any significant discounts from the Russian side.
Blas considers Russia's victory in the oil confrontation to be a frankly political factor. It consists in the fact that the West, led by the United States, failed to convince the countries of the Persian Gulf to abandon the parameters of the OPEC + deal and the need to significantly increase oil production.
Information