Syria To Cut Russian Oil Imports per US Request

Syria has reportedly committed to the United States to drastically reduce its Russian oil imports, as part of talks with Washington over lifting the last major terrorism sanction designation (SST) still in place on Damascus since 1979.Reuters reported the development on Tuesday, Aug. 4, citing three anonymous sources, including a Syrian source with direct knowledge of the talks, a US official, and one additional source briefed on the matter.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Today, Syria relies on Russian oil out of necessity, not preference,” the Syrian source said, adding that “Syrian officials often respond [to the US] by saying: ‘Lift the SST designation and we’ll buy oil from somewhere else.”“We simply don’t have alternatives right now,” they continued.Moscow – Syria’s main crude supplierRussian oil deliveries to Syria rose about 75% this year, to about 60,000 barrels per day, making Moscow Syria’s main supplier of crude, even as Damascus continues to pursue closer ties with the West.Navvar Saban, a Syrian analyst at the Arab Center for Contemporary Studies, said replacing that volume will take time.It “cannot happen overnight without risking fuel shortages or higher import costs for Syria,” Saban said, adding that Washington is “increasingly targeting the economic network that allows Russia to preserve influence after losing political ground in Syria.”Russia reportedly increased its oil deliveries to Syria in an aim to maintain its influence following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Other Topics of Interest Russian Airstrikes on Kramatorsk Injure 22 Civilians The bombs struck the city center, hitting a residential apartment building and damaging nearby residential and non-residential structures. A Syrian energy authority told Reuters that Damascus is already looking for new suppliers and expects “radical” changes to its energy mix. In June, Syria had signed a gas deal with ConocoPhillips and Novaterra, while discussing an offshore exploration contract with TotalEnergies in July.A US State Department authority said Washington was “encouraging Syria to engage trusted corporate partners – especially US firms – during the country’s recovery and reconstruction process,” expecting Syria to comply with existing US sanctions on Russia.The US sanctions trackPresident Donald Trump notified Congress of his intent to remove Syria from the terrorism list on July 8, opening a 45-day window in which he must certify that Syria has not supported international terrorism over the past six months.According to Reuters, all three sources said Washington never explicitly presented the reduction as a formal precondition for lifting the designation, and a US official told Reuters there was no direct link between removing Syria’s listing and their cutting of Russian oil purchases.Alongside the sanctions talks, Washington is also working to reduce Russia’s military influence in Syria.Congress has reportedly directed the Pentagon to float ways to curb Moscow’s influence and support the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Tartous naval base and the Hmeimim airbase.Russia’s wider oil squeezeSyria is not alone in stepping back from Russian crude.Georgia’s only refinery confirmed on Tuesday, Aug. 4, that it is phasing out Russian oil under EU sanctions, shifting to Kazakh and Libyan supplies.Meanwhile, Russia’s domestic fuel crisis, driven by repeated Ukrainian strikes on its oil and energy infrastructures, have pushed Russian oil companies to seek imports from India, Belarus and Kazakhstan.As a result of the crisis, Russia – the world’s third-largest fossil fuel producer – has banned exports of gasoline starting in April, of jet fuel starting June 1, and of diesel starting July 8. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.