Russia and economic war by the west #3

The disruption of supply chains has led to a rise in fuel and food prices in Europe and the United States. In the UK, the rising cost of living has affected millions of households.

Reader's comment: Russia could cut off gas immediately to this lapdog.

The deal earned Volkswagen Group just €125 million, according to a company report.

Reuters learned about the refusal of the US threats to comply with the oil price limit

Reuters: US uses soft tactics instead of threats to comply with the oil price cap

The US, instead of threats, tries to persuade companies and tanker owners to comply with the Russian oil price ceiling through negotiations, fearing price fluctuations. Russia refuses to supply those who adhere to the price limit
The United States is not going to resort to threats of crackdown to force trading houses, insurance companies and tanker owners to comply with the established price limit for Russian oil, Reuters writes, citing sources.
“The initial inclination on the part of the Ministry of Finance (it was he who set the price ceiling. - RBC) is to be soft on this, not to fall like a hammer on tankers and tanker owners, to force, but to force quietly with the help of letters, phone calls,” he said. agency interlocutor.
Another source told the agency that similar conversations with industry representatives have taken place and will continue.
Among the possible harsh measures for violators in the US Department of the Treasury called fines, civil or criminal lawsuits. However, according to a Reuters source, the threats could affect the dynamics of oil prices, which Washington does not want to allow. The agency points out that rising consumer energy prices carry a "political risk" for President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election.
In mid-July, the price of Russian Urals oil exceeded the ceiling of $60 per barrel set by the G7 in December last year. Reuters indicates that it continues to trade at or above this level. On July 25, the price of Urals exceeded $65 for the first time since November 2022.
A US government source explained this by saying that Russia has made deals with countries that do not comply with the price ceiling - for example, China and India. However, according to Washington, such supplies incur large costs for Moscow, since the cost of transporting oil has increased compared to when oil was pipelined to Europe.
China and India have recently become key buyers of Russian oil. In the first half of 2023, Russia ranked first in oil supplies to China. Moscow delivered 52.6 million tons of oil to Beijing, and a record 10.5 million tons (2.56 million barrels per day) were shipped in June. Deliveries of Russian oil to India in June were also record-breaking, at the level of 2.2 million barrels. in a day.
Russia, in response to the introduction of a price ceiling, banned the supply of Russian oil to foreign citizens and companies if the contracts "directly or indirectly provide for the use of a price cap mechanism." The exception is deliveries to friendly countries under previously concluded agreements - with them you can comply with the limit.

However, even 4th place for Russia is a very good result.

RBC is has a history of liberasty. In the above article about oil they whinge about "higher costs" for shipped oil vs pipeline oil. No shit Sherlock. The key
detail being left out is that for oil, pipeline transit is exceptional and the norm is tanker transport. So Russia is not "losing". The panicky tone is
grotesque.

Russia can contest the third place with the US through overt and covert operations to dismantle the US economy.