The G-7′s pursuit of a Russian oil price ceiling

The world’s seven major industrialized economies have proposed a price restriction on Russian oil in order to further constrain the Kremlin’s capacity to fund its offensive in Ukraine and to safeguard consumers from rising energy prices.

The G-7′s pursuit of a price ceiling on Russian oil, on the other hand, is fraught with difficulties, with energy experts skeptical of the proposal′s credibility. The Kremlin, for its part, has cautioned that any attempt to put a price restriction on Russian oil will cause more harm than good. The United States appears to be the most vocal proponent of a Russian oil price ceiling.

Back in May, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described the proposal to her European counterparts, saying it would act as a levy or quota on Russian oil and help Europe in the interim until a full embargo is imposed.

After several weeks of difficult negotiations, the EU agreed in late May to impose a phased embargo on Russian oil until the end of 2022. The EU used to get roughly 25% of its oil imports from Russia, and it was one of the Kremlin’s most important buyers. Stopping these oil purchases is an attempt to harm Russia’s economy following the unjustified invasion of Ukraine, but it is difficult to do so quickly considering how dependent several EU countries are on Russian fossil fuels.

Over the weekend of June 25 and 26, US President Joe Biden proposed an oil price cap to the rest of the G-7 leaders, and his counterparts agreed to look into how to implement it. The G-7 consists of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Energy specialists have questioned how the G-7 can put a price restriction on Russian oil, saying that if significant users are not included, the idea could backfire, and time may be running short to make it effective. According to Atkinson, China and India have “benefited greatly” from inexpensive Russian crude.

Oil

Pressures on oil supply

Oil prices rose ahead of trading this week, with both main benchmarks rising by 2% or more on Friday.

This halted a sharp decline that saw benchmarks end the month lower for the first time since November, despite increasingly pessimistic projections about global economic growth and potential recessions.

Despite this, Brent crude increased 2.38 percent to $111.60 per barrel on Friday, while WTI crude increased 2.52 percent to $108.40 per barrel.The comeback was fueled by new rumors of tighter markets, which have maintained prices historically elevated above the $100 mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, after trading in the double digits for eight years.

OPEC’s decision last week not to consider further increasing production demands for September was one of the latest tight market tailwinds.

OPEC and its partners (OPEC+) agreed in early June to increase output by 648,000 barrels per day each month in July and August, compared to a previous agreement to add 432,000 barrels per day over three months.

Meanwhile, a planned walkout by Norwegian oil and gas employees on July 5 could reduce the country’s overall petroleum output by 8%, or 320,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, unless a last-minute deal on salary demands is reached.

Members of the Lederne labor union, which represents around 15% of the country’s offshore industry workforce, are demanding wage increases to compensate for growing inflation.

They intend to strike three offshore fields on Tuesday and add three more the next day if a solution is not reached. The country is a major oil and gas supplier, especially for addressing Europe’s energy needs.

Oil

‘Stop Oil’ protesters invade British GP track after crash

After a spectacular opening lap crash at the British Grand Prix on Sunday brought out a red flag, a group of ‘Just Stop Oil‘ demonstrators invaded the Silverstone course.

British police had previously stated that they had credible information about a plan to interrupt the event. The audience booed as cars slowly made their way to the pit lane, before marshals and police struggled with the demonstrators and hauled them away. According to the governing FIA, emergency services were quickly on the scene to retrieve Zhou, whose car skidded upside down along the track before tumbling over the fences. The youngster stayed conscious and was transferred to the hospital center, along with Williams’ Alexander Albon, for additional evaluation.

With 142,000 spectators descending on the circuit, which is 90 minutes west of London, the event is one of the sporting highlights of the British summer and has historically been a magnet for demonstrators. Four people were arrested two years ago during the British Grand Prix after protesters hoisted a banner for the climate action group Extinction Rebellion. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was closed to spectators at the time.

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