Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reassures that Venezuela's increased oil production poses no threat to Canada's low-cost, low-carbon oil industry, emphasizing Canada's focus on diversifying exports and maintaining its market stability despite geopolitical tensions and US sanctions on Venezuela.
The Russian ruble fell sharply following the EU's announcement of new sanctions targeting Russian banks and energy exports, including measures to disconnect banks from SWIFT and lower the oil price cap, which could significantly impact Russia's oil revenues and lead to further currency weakness amid declining oil prices and seasonal factors.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators visited Ukraine to support imposing severe sanctions on Russia, focusing on targeting Russia's energy exports to weaken its war economy, amid escalating violence and upcoming peace talks, with growing bipartisan support in Congress for tougher actions against Moscow.
A bipartisan US Senate bill aims to impose severe sanctions on Russia, including a 500% tariff on Russian energy exports, to pressure Vladimir Putin into peace negotiations in Ukraine. While intended to isolate Russia and hold China accountable, the bill risks significant economic damage to the EU and global trade, with potential exemptions and enforcement challenges complicating its implementation.
Oil prices nearing $100 a barrel are causing concern for central banks fighting inflation, but it's good news for Russia. Output cuts from Saudi Arabia and Russia have boosted oil prices by over 10% this year, benefiting Russia's oil revenues. Russia has been able to ship half of its seaborne crude without Western insurance, potentially selling at higher prices and bypassing the $60-a-barrel price cap imposed by G7-led sanctions. Higher oil prices have increased Russia's energy export revenues, with the Kremlin raising $17.1 billion from crude exports in August. Despite sanctions, Russia's wartime economy is getting a boost from defense and government spending.
The World Bank has revised its outlook for the Russian economy, predicting a smaller contraction in 2023 due to stronger-than-expected revenues from energy exports to countries including India and China. The bank now expects the Russian economy to contract by just 0.2 percentage points this year, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than its previous estimate in January. The World Bank also revised upward its prediction for the world economy, expecting global growth this year to be 2.1%.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said that there was "no alternative" for Ukraine other than the return of Crimea into its control. He also hosted an official iftar for Muslims in the country, including military servicemen, officials and diplomats. Ukraine will resume electricity exports to Europe, following a six-month halt as Kyiv struggled under Russian missile attacks targeting the country's infrastructure. The UK Defense Ministry predicted in its daily briefing on the war that Ukraine's energy situation would start looking up as the weather gets warmer. Russia or pro-Russian elements were believed to be behind a leak of classified US military documents which detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine.