Moscow Denies Bargaining Political Stance on Syria

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow will not bargain its policy, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday, commenting on Western media reports that Saudi Arabia and Russia have been discussing cutting oil production levels in exchange for Moscow changing its stance on Syria.

“We are not bargaining, and have never bargained over this matter. Oil is oil, but everything else is another subject,” Lukashevich said.

On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that “Saudi Arabia has been trying to pressure President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to abandon his support for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, using its dominance of the global oil markets at a time when the Russian government is reeling from the effects of plummeting oil prices.”

The newspaper argued that by cutting its oil output to raise oil prices globally, Saudi Arabia suggested that it would be helping Russia improve its economy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later denied the reports.

Following a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in late November to keep oil production volumes unchanged, oil prices have steadily declined. In summer 2014 oil cost about $110 per barrel. The price of one barrel is now hovering $56. Falling oil prices have caused economic problems in Russia, which is heavily reliant on energy export.