MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Monday that the latest round of US sanctions on the Russian energy sector risked destabilising global markets, and Moscow would do everything possible to minimise their impact, Reuters reported.
“It is clear that the United States will continue to try to undermine the positions of our companies in non-competitive ways, but we expect that we will be able to counteract this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“At the same time, of course, such decisions cannot but lead to a certain destabilisation of international energy markets, oil markets. We will very carefully monitor the consequences and configure the work of our companies in order to minimise the consequences of these ... illegal decisions.” The US Treasury imposed wider sanctions on Russian oil on Friday, targeting producers Gazprom Neft & Surgutneftegaz, as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil.
The move was meant to cut Russia’s revenues for financing Ukraine war. A US official said the sanctions could cost Russia billions of dollars per month if sufficiently enforced.