Russian ambassador to Washington says risk of clash between US and Russia ‘high’

Russia’s ambassador to the United States said that the risk of a clash between the US and Russia was “high”, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.

TASS cited Anatoly Antonov as saying that it was hard to say when talks on strategic dialogue between the two sides could resume, but that talks on prisoner swaps had been “effective” and would continue.

Earlier, Moscow said that it could cut oil production by up to seven percent in early 2023 following an oil price cap agreed by Western countries. Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak, who is in charge of Moscow’s energy policy, said, “At the start of next year, we could make a reduction of 500,000-700,000 barrels per day. For us, that’s around 5-7 percent.

He said Russia will not supply oil to countries that are enforcing a price cap- part of measures on Moscow following its invasion in Ukraine. The price ceiling of $60 per barrel agreed by the European Union, G7 and Australia came into force in early December and seeks to restrict Russia’s revenue.