US Push to Penalise Russian Oil Buyers Clashes With Its Own Moscow Imports
Washington's effort to punish buyers of Russian oil sits uneasily with its continued purchases from Moscow, as data shows China dominates Russia's fossil fuel export earnings.
The United States is pressing to penalise countries that buy Russian oil, even as it continues to purchase fossil fuels from Moscow, according to data compiled by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Since January 2023, China has been the largest customer for Russian fossil fuels, the data show. It accounts for 35.3 per cent of Russia's earnings from fossil fuel exports over that period.
The figures point to a persistent gap between the sanctions rhetoric directed at Moscow's energy revenues and the actual flow of trade. While Washington seeks to deter other nations from buying Russian crude, its own imports from Russia have not stopped.
China's position at the top of the list underscores how much of Russia's export income continues to depend on a small set of major buyers. The CREA data place Beijing well ahead of other purchasers in terms of the share of Moscow's fossil fuel earnings it generates.
The overlap between the push to punish Russian oil buyers and continued US buying from Moscow is likely to shape debates over how far energy sanctions can be enforced without affecting the countries imposing them.