Russia ‘satisfied’ with crude price at $60, says Putin

Russia is happy with the current oil price level of around $60 dollars per barrel, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, despite a recent dramatic oil price slump on global oversupply worries. The oil price “fell and then rose again but in my opinion, a level around $60 is quite acceptable, we are completely satisfied,” he told an investment forum. Russia’s latest budget had been built on the assumption of oil at $40, he said.

Russia is the world’s third-biggest oil producer after the United States and OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia, which has been cooperating with Russia on production cuts to keep a check on supply. But since reaching four-year highs in October, oil prices have plunged around 30 percent as worries about falling demand in a slowing world economy have taken their toll. European oil benchmark Brent stood at just under $60 on Wednesday, while its US counterpart WTI hovered just above $51.

Russia has for years been cooperating with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) of which it is not a member, helping to engineer a rebound after a 2014 oil price slump. The cooperation had been a “a 100 percent” success, Putin said, adding that this was largely due to Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the “initiator” of the deal. “This led to positive results,” Putin said.