Russia is now getting more money from its fossil fuel trade than it did before the start of its military operation in Ukraine, which prompted some Western nations to target Moscow with a barrage of sanctions, US Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein told American senators on Thursday.
Global energy prices that were already on the rise and have apparently been driven further up by Western sanctions against Russia have helped Moscow alleviate the impact of Western restrictions, the official, who had previously served as the US energy security envoy, admitted.
When asked whether Moscow was getting more money from its oil and gas trade now than it did several months ago, Hochstein replied: “I cannot deny that.” The official was speaking to the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation.