AIBU to think buying Russian oil again makes no sense?

We're literally the dumbest country in the world.

Indeed. It’s not a new strategy at all - even Machiavelli wrote on the how protecting the image of an irrationality could at times be valuable. Nixon utilized ‘Madman Theory’ too.

Russia is providing support to prop up the IRGC in Iran. It would be in the interests of the U.S if they could refrain from doing so, and lifting the sanctions could be a way of negotiation this. It could also be a way of fueling paranoia in the IRGC, and distrust of their allies. Obviously just a theory. I do rather suspect that ‘who the fuck knows?’ is the point.

Does Trump really care about popularity? Or kickbacks and advantageous business deals 🤔

Possibly. Or they may be attempting to use sanctions, or rather lack thereof, as leverage. Or the point may just be to create confusion and paranoia.

Oh yeah, that's another weird thing.

The US has waived its existing sanctions, not merely delayed new ones.

They have to issue a temporary waiver licence each time, and when the licence expires the US sanctions come back into force.

This is now the second time that the Trump administration has announced it was not going to renew the waiver... and then a few days later has renewed the waiver.

It's like their left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.

US again grants Russia oil sanctions waiver despite Treasury chief's pledges not to
https://kyivindependent.com/us-source-denies-reports-of-new-russian-oil-sanctions-waiver/

@UrbanFan of course not we all know for many reasons we need to move to greener cleaner energy ! But as octopus enegery boss has said just not right now totally ! We are easing off it ! And whilst that happens we need to use what we have and use !!

After all the criticism of trump lowering sanctions now we have gone and done it and we are not utilising our own oil ! It beggars all belief and logic ?? We have it but we woud rather go for red eds net zero and put money into a wicked tyrants pockets ?Emily Thorneberyy was scathing today about this choose

Instead Miliband are making it harder for future governments to drill for oil

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2205327/miliband-north-sea-drilling-ban-law-energy-independence-bill-fracking

Extract - Labour is to introduce a legal ban on new oil and gas drilling in Britain, enshrining in legislation a prohibition that would make it far harder for any future government to reverse course on North Sea exploration.
The measure will form part of the energy independence bill, one of a raft of new laws set out by the King during the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday. It will convert Ed Miliband's existing temporary moratorium on new drilling into a permanent legal ban, and will also prohibit onshore fracking.

It’s disgusting - I do wonder if it’s deliberate to damage the U.K. or make money in some way. If we drill for our own oil it means the oil travels less distance, creates local jobs, keeps costs lower, helps our economy. If these politicians believe net zero is the way why would we use energy to transport oil here!

If the conservatives had started in December 2022 we would have been almost there. But they kept buying from Russia via India

If it's all about jobs and we want the fuel maybe we should drill for some of our own then and generate our own jobs in the process.

Funding both sides makes no sense.

We should make a decision. Either we want cheap flights or we want to support Ukraine.

It will also benefit the environment as air travel has a large effect on CO2 production so reducing non essential travel will help that.

They are spending into the economy here by buying flights.

More expensive means fewer sold (because spending availability is finite) means fewer jobs.

@GasPanic they want to keep those fields undeveloped in order to polish their net zero halos while everyone's standard of living goes down the tubes. If I hear one more person say that Starmer is a decent man I think I'll scream.

Not causing the closures of these two major refineries via taxes, which amount to 20% of our production would be a start.

Grangemouth Refinery - Scotland's only oil refinery permanently ceased crude oil processing operations, transitioning instead into an import terminal.

Lindsey Oil Refinery (North East Lincolnshire)

Presumably if everyone stays at home they will spend into the economy here.

Or people could just pay the premium for sourcing the fuel from an unsanctioned place.

AFAIK the licences for the big fields are currently being blocked.

There is one field earmarked for development that could supply 5% of the UKs gas. This gas would all end up in the UK or transit through the UKs pipeline system as it doesn't make much sense to liquefy it and send it somewhere else.

I don't understand the argument of why we should keep these fields undeveloped while continuing to order oil from elsewhere. First there is the transport costs (economic and environmental) and then there is the economic benefit in terms of jobs. If we are going to continue to use the oil/gas, we might as well produce it here. If we weren't actually going to use it in the UK ourselves it might be a different matter. But the chance of replacing gas as a primary energy source in the short term is close to zero.

Anyway my Norweigian mate is happy. Both for the jobs, and the money we are sending their way.

Starmer needs to sort Milliband and his green shit out. We need to start North Sea oils again

Well do you think that all the world's oil problems will be over by then and we'll have a thriving industrial economy built on sunshine, or do you think that it might be sensible to use all of our own resources more wisely?

Ok, but that's c. 1 milion jobs in UK. How are you replacing them?

The existing oil sanctions have been having a impact on Russia, even before closing the third-country loophole. Russia's oil export revenues dropped from nearly 40% of it's federal budget in 2022 to 25% in 2025.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is wonderful for Putin. It raises the price of oil worldwide – so he earns more for every barrel he sells to all the other countries buying it, even when sales to the UK and EU are banned.

Starting the war on Iran was madness. The closure of the Strait was predicted by Trump's own Joint Chiefs of Staff. 🤷‍♀️

Assessing the impacts of oil sanctions on Russia
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114739

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/enforce-sanctions-to-prevent-russia-from-benefitting-in-a-prolonged-iran-crisis/

I do believe the government made moves in 2025 to allow more drilling in the North Sea. The UK doesn’t own any oil fields itself, they’re all privately owned.

The issues are that it’s expensive, required rebuilding infrastructure that’s been stripped, and won’t meet the demand. The North Sea is also extremely hostile, as far as environments go.

It’s ultimately a lot of investment for not enough in return. The basin is a finite resource that is already largely depleted. Russia, comparatively, has already well established infrastructure, and an abundance of oil and other natural resources.

No. But we could at least apply it to fuel for leisure/non essential activities.

The aviation industry has to adjust to varying traffic conditions all the time. Covid, Volcanic eruptions etc.

Then of course there is always the option of paying more. For none Russian sourced fuel.

People wonder why countries don't take sanctions seriously. Here is a perfect demonstration of why.