OPEC+ oil producers face uncertainty over Russian sanctions
Oil prices are down, and demand is lagging
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Saudi-led OPEC oil cartel and allied producing countries, including Russia, are expected to decide how much oil to supply to the global economy amid weakening demand in China and uncertainty about the impact of new Western sanctions against Russia that could take significant amounts of oil off the market.
The 23-country OPEC+ alliance are scheduled to meet Sunday, a day ahead of the planned start of two measures aimed at hitting Moscow's oil earnings in response to its war in Ukraine. Those are a European Union boycott of most Russian oil and a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian exports imposed by the EU and Group of Seven democracies.
Russia rejected the price cap approved Friday and threatened to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.
Oil has been trading lower on fears that coronavirus outbreaks and China's strict zero-COVID restrictions would reduce demand for fuel in one of the world's major economies. Concerns about recessions in the U.S. and Europe also raise the prospect of lower demand for gasoline and other fuel made from crude.
