US trying to sign energy deals with Iran, Venezuela: Putin
With the absence of Russian resources from the United States, gas prices have been sharply surging, prompting the US to reach out to the victims of its unilateral crimes.
The United States is making attempts to sign contracts on energy resources with Iran and Venezuela, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
"They are already trying at all costs to reach an agreement with those countries against which they themselves introduced illegitimate restrictions in past," Putin said, in a nod toward the unilateral US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela that suffocated the economies of the two states.
Read: US urgently reaches out to Venezuela amid possible energy crisis
Putin stressed that Washington was ready to make peace with Caracas and Tehran, sign all agreements, and hold negotiations with the parties they had penalized for no reason in the past. "It was not necessary to introduce these illegitimate sanctions," he told a government meeting.
The Russian leader also said the US was trying to deceive its own population by putting the blame for high prices on Russia.
"Supplies of Russian oil to the American market do not exceed 3%. This is a small amount. And their prices are growing. We have absolutely nothing to do with it," Putin underscored in light of surging gas prices in the states.
The ban on the import of Russian oil, the Russian president explained, had nothing to do with the surging prices. "They just hide behind these decisions in order to deceive once again their own population," Putin declared.
Biden, in a bid to paralyze the Russian economy, went on and banned imports of Russian oil to the United States.
Following the announcement of the ban, crude and nickel prices skyrocketed reaching an unprecedented peak as concerns over Russian supply escalated.
With gas prices on the hike, Biden's administration has been looking for ways to unlock more oil supplies in the global mark to ameliorate the gas prices.
Biden has initiated or intends to open negotiations with Saudi Arabia, which has been experiencing tensions with its crowned prince, Venezuela which is under draconian US sanctions, and possibly Iran after a nuclear deal is struck in the coming days.