Putin bans oil exports to countries that imposed price cap

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered Russia's long-awaited response to a Western price cap, signing a decree that bans the supply of oil and oil products to nations participating in the cap from February 1 for five months.

The Group of Seven major powers, the European Union and Australia agreed this month to a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil effective from Dec. 5 over Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The Kremlin's decree stated: "This...comes into force on February 1, 2023, and applies until July 1, 2023."

Crude oil exports will be banned from February 1, but the date for the oil products ban will be determined by the Russian government and could be after February 1.

The decree includes a clause that allows for Putin to overrule the ban in special cases.

(Reuters)