The United States is going the wrong way by easing some oil sanctions against Russia. This is what German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, according to the AFP news agency on Friday.
- We believe this is the wrong approach. We want to ensure that Russia does not exploit the war in Iran to weaken Ukraine, he says.
The United States will temporarily allow countries to buy Russian oil and gasoline products that are already in tankers at sea. This was announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday night in a post on X.
The measure will be valid for 30 days and, according to the minister, is intended as a "short-term measure" that is not intended to benefit Russia too much, but to do something about the rising prices caused by the war in Iran and the unrest in the Middle East.
A price problem, not a quantity problem
Merz is concerned, however.
- Again - we believe this is wrong. There is currently a price problem, but not a quantity problem, he says, according to the Reuters news agency.
- Therefore, I would like to know what other motives led the US government to make this decision.
Merz's statements are in line with statements made earlier this week by, among others, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They do not see sanctions relief as the way forward. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expresses skepticism.
- It is of course a decision for the United States, but our position is clear. All partners must maintain pressure on Russia and its war chest, the spokesman told reporters, according to Reuters.
Joy in Russia
Meanwhile, Russia welcomes the announcement from the United States.
- In this area, our interests overlap, says Dmitry Peskov, who is Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman.
Another Russian spokesman - presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriyev - says that the sanctions relief affects about 100 million barrels of crude oil.
The announcement from the US Treasury Secretary came the day after the United States released 172 million barrels of oil from the country's strategic oil reserve. It was yet another attempt to curb sky-high oil prices.
The oil from the United States is part of a larger release of a total of 400 million barrels of oil, which the 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) adopted on Wednesday.
Denmark is releasing 124,600 barrels of oil from its emergency stocks, Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) announced on Friday.
/ritzau
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