Volker criticized the easing of oil sanctions against Russia
Kurt Volker, the former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, stated that easing sanctions on the oil sector could temporarily bolster Russia’s economy and is a misguided move.
He expressed this view in an interview with Ukrinform.
“First and foremost, I believe that easing oil sanctions against Russia is the wrong decision. That is, it is a mistake because it will have almost no impact on global oil prices, if any at all. Instead, it will give Putin more resources and, thus, encourage him to prolong his war against Ukraine. So I believe that in this sense, it is a mistake. In the long term, it won’t matter much. However, in the short term, it will. In the long run, I think oil prices will go down again, and that will have a much stronger impact on Putin,” Volker emphasized.
He stated that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian export terminals deep within Russian territory are aimed at reducing Moscow’s ability to export oil and are already having a noticeable economic impact.
In his view, a combination of several factors—Ukrainian attacks on infrastructure, falling global oil prices, and reduced shipment volumes—effectively offsets the impact of Washington’s individual decisions regarding Russian energy exports.
The official clarified that the current U.S. position does not entail a complete easing of the sanctions regime. It concerns only permission to sell Russian oil that is already at sea, not an expansion of exports in general.
“Therefore, I hope that this decision will remain limited to this specific framework and will be in effect for a short period,” the diplomat stated.
Recall: Volker: Change in Russia is possible only through the domestic elite.
Earlier, Volker called peace talks on the part of the Russian Federation a fiction.
Recall that the Kremlin announcedthe terms of the meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
The Kremlinis also preparing three scenarios for the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, Moscow has called onthe U.S. to cooperate even before the war ends.
