Trump says he's ready to push OPEC to lower oil price
US President Donald Trump intends to ask the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices, including to pressure Russia over Ukraine. He made the corresponding statement on January 23 during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"I'm also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower the price of oil. You have to lower its cost, and frankly, I'm surprised they didn't do it before the election. It surprised me a little bit. If the price had gone down, [the conflict] between Russia and Ukraine would have ended immediately," Trump said.
According to him, if OPEC fulfills his request, the Ukrainian conflict would supposedly be over.
Furthermore, the US president added that his administration has already started "making efforts" to peacefully resolve the relationship between Ukraine and Russia.
Earlier in the day, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov said that Trump has no leverage to pressure Russia. The senator emphasized that it was useless to speak from a position of strength with Moscow.
Before that, on January 22, Trump threatened to raise taxes and impose new sanctions on Russian exports to the United States if the conflict in Ukraine is not resolved soon. The American president called the "deal" itself a favor he was doing for the Russian Federation.
Earlier, on January 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was open to a dialog with the new US presidential administration on the Ukrainian conflict. At the same time, the goal of the settlement is not a brief truce, but a long-term peace based on respect for people's legitimate interests, he emphasized.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.
