In this interview with BBC Arabic, Dr Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Energy, discusses the EU’s 4th round of sanctions on Russia.
Dr Nakhle argues that while oil prices retreated this week compared to the previous week (from nearly 140 $/bbl to less than 100 $/bbl), this doesn’t mean that the crisis is over and all scenarios are on the table.
To date, European sanctions on Russia have not targeted the country’s oil and gas industry due to the high reliance of Europe on energy imports from Russia. The 4th round of sanctions simply ban European companies from taking new investments in energy in Russia, but this move does not impact current Russian exports.
Dr Nakhle adds that the European Union (EU) is in a better position than three decades ago as it was able to decrease its reliance on Russian gas from 75% in the 1990s to about 40% in the meantime. However, the EU cannot replace Russian gas supplies overnight. Talks have been taking place with various market players, which can provide some relief.
To date, OPEC has not added barrels to the market as it blamed the rise in prices on geopolitical fears and not supply disruptions.
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