MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday denounced new US sanctions on Moscow's energy sector, describing them as an attempt to harm the Russian economy at the expense of the risk of destabilizing global markets, and said the country would go ahead with major oil and gas projects.
A ministry statement also said that Russia would respond to Washington's “hostile” actions that it announced on Friday while drawing up its foreign policy strategy.
The statement said that the measures amount to “an attempt to cause at least some damage to the Russian economy, even at the expense of the risk of destabilizing global markets as the end of President Joe Biden's ill-fated term in power approaches.”
He added: “Despite the convulsions in the White House and the machinations of the anti-Russian lobby in the West, which is trying to drag the global energy sector into the 'hybrid war' launched by the United States against Russia, our country has been and remains a major and reliable exporter.” A player in the global fuel market.”
These measures constitute the broadest US sanctions package to date targeting Russian oil and gas revenues, and are part of measures aimed at giving Kiev and the incoming Donald Trump administration leverage to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on Gazprom (MCX:) Neft and Surgutneftegas, which explore, produce and sell oil, as well as 183 ships that shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of old tankers operated by Russian oil companies. Non-Western companies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the measures would “deal a strong blow” to Moscow. “The less Russia receives from oil… the faster peace will be restored,” he said.
