On Saturday, Moscow accused the U.S. of jeopardizing global energy stability with new extensive sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.
On Friday, the U.S. and the U.K. imposed new sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, including oil giant Gazprom Neft, just days before President Joe Biden leaves office.
Moscow’s foreign ministry stated that, ahead of Biden’s “inglorious time in power,” Washington was attempting to “cause at least some harm to Russia’s economy even at the cost of destabilizing world markets.”
“Of course, Washington’s hostile actions will not be left without reaction,” it added.
Referring to the California wildfires, Moscow accused Biden’s administration of leaving “scorched earth” or complete destruction for incoming President Donald Trump, who cannot reverse the sanctions without Congress approval.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously told reporters that the Biden administration was attempting to leave Trump “as heavy a legacy as possible.”
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Friday that it was designating over 180 ships, along with Russian oil giants Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, fulfilling “the G7 commitment to reduce Russian revenues from energy.”
Gazprom Neft condemned the sanctions on Friday as “baseless” and “illegitimate,” according to Russian state news agencies.
Biden’s deputy national security advisor for international economics, Daleep Singh, described the sanctions as “the most significant” imposed on Russia’s energy sector, which he said was “by far the largest source of revenue for [President Vladimir] Putin’s war.”
On Saturday, the Russian ministry accused the U.S. of attempting to “hinder as far as possible or even make impossible any bilateral economic ties, including with US business.”
It claimed Washington was “sacrificing to this the interests… of European allies”, which are “forced to switch over to more expensive and unreliable American supplies.”
It also accused Washington of “ignoring” its own citizens’ concerns about rising energy prices after the presidential election.
Source
- Russia Says U.S. Risks Global Energy Instability With New Sanctions – The Moscow Times