"The executive body of the European Union has asked its 27 member countries to cap the price of Russian oil at $60, officials and diplomats involved in the discussions said.
The plan, using the clout of the EU's insurance and shipping industries, is part of the West's effort to crimp Moscow's economy while keeping global crude prices steady.
But whether that plan can go forward hinges on a response from Poland. All 27 EU countries need to sign off on the proposal for it to move ahead as planned on Monday -- no other bloc member raised an objection to the plan on Thursday. Poland asked for extra time to consider it, Polish and other EU officials said. A decision from Poland wouldn't come before Friday, they said.
The price cap is a key part of the West's attempt to squeeze the Kremlin's oil revenue while keeping global supplies steady and avoiding price increases. It has been crafted as a way to allow Russia, a top global oil exporter, to supply markets without Moscow getting the full benefit of its sale.
If the EU agrees on the price cap, the Group of Seven nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K. and the U.S. -- will then need to sign off. The G-7 and Australia aim to have the unprecedented sanctions in place by the time a European embargo on seaborne Russian crude imports begins after the weekend.
Selecting the level of the price cap has required the U.S. and its allies to try to balance its two goals for the plan. Ukrainian and Eastern European officials favored a lower cap to cut off more of Russia's revenue. The Biden administration, oil traders and financiers have sought a higher cap that would still induce Russia to sell its oil at the capped price.
Poland has been at the center of long negotiations in Brussels over whether to agree to the price cap over the last 10 days. While Polish officials have been clear they support the plan and don't want to cause a delay in the mechanism's introduction, they have pressed for the price cap to be set far below the price at which Russian oil is being sold.
To win Warsaw over, the European Commission presented a new text on Thursday that included a promise to review the price cap every two months starting in January and to aim to keep the price cap at least 5% below the price at which Russia is exporting crude. The commission is also seeking to speed up its preparations for new sanctions on Russia, for which Warsaw has been calling.
European officials remained confident Thursday night that the plan can be signed off on Friday, but were concerned if G-7 partners, including Japan, would have enough time to put in place preparations for the cap before the weekend. Officials across the G-7 were preparing to announce an agreement at $60 a barrel on Friday. That level would set Russian crude prices significantly below the international benchmark, called Brent, which traded at about $87 a barrel on Thursday.
Biden administration officials who have led the price-cap push indicated they were supportive of setting the cap at $60 a barrel. Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, said Thursday that the U.S. supported reviewing the price every two months.
Russian crude trades at a significant discount to Brent, but since many buyers have shunned it altogether, price transparency has been more difficult. In some cases, Russian crude has traded well under $60 a barrel. Russia's Urals crude fetched $48 a barrel when exported from the Baltic port of Primorsk on Wednesday, according to Argus Media, which assesses prices in commodity markets.
U.S. officials have argued that individual price estimates are misleading because of the market's opacity, saying they believe Russian crude is currently trading above $60 a barrel.
Under the price-cap system, companies shipping Russian oil outside of Europe would be able to access EU insurance and brokerage services only if they sell the oil at or under $60.
In addition to the proposed cap, a separate EU embargo on Russian vessel-bound crude oil imports takes effect Monday. U.S. officials had worried that the embargo, combined with the threat of cutting off EU insurance and other services for vessels shipping Russian oil, could send prices higher, generating fresh revenue for Kremlin. They crafted the price cap as a way to relax the EU's original plan to completely ban the financing and insurance of Russian oil shipments.
Russia has threatened to refuse to sell its oil at prices below the cap, a step that could take a sizable chunk of supplies off the market and raise prices globally.
But last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov signaled there might be wiggle room in Moscow's threats.
"It feels like they are just trying to make a decision for the sake of a decision. For the time being, we proceed from the directive of President [Vladimir] Putin, that we will not supply oil and gas to those states that will introduce and join the ceiling. Of course, we must analyze everything before formulating a position," Mr. Peskov said.
Many Russian oil sales would likely be able to continue without complying with the new price cap, if Russia and its buyers in Asia and elsewhere use ships, insurance and financing outside the jurisdiction of the G-7.
Biden administration officials have said they are comfortable with Russia selling its oil outside of the cap. Using non-Western shipping, insurance and banking services would likely be more costly for Russia, they said.
Still, Moscow won't be able to sell any of its seaborne crude to Europe after Monday. Traders said there are signs Russia is struggling to find buyers for more than a million barrels of crude each day that are currently sold into the EU." [1]
Landsbergiukas begged to pay the Russians less. Apparently, a dog's voice does not go to heaven.
1. EU Asks Members To Cap Russia's Oil at $60 --- Move aims to hinder Moscow's ability to conduct sales while keeping prices steady
Norman, Laurence.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 02 Dec 2022: A.1.
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