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Putin: Russia to Continue Cooperation with OPEC+

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on Thursday (EPA)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on Thursday (EPA)
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Putin: Russia to Continue Cooperation with OPEC+

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on Thursday (EPA)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on Thursday (EPA)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his country will continue to develop cooperation with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies known as OPEC+, as well as members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

Putin also said Russia is fulfilling its obligations to supply energy resources to the global market.

The Russian President was speaking at the Russian Energy Week before a panel of top ministers from OPEC+ called the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee is scheduled to meet on Oct. 2 to review the market and is not expected to make any changes to policy.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Reuters on Thursday that there were no changes to OPEC+ plans to start phasing out oil production cuts from December.

OPEC+, which groups OPEC members and allies such as Russia, is scheduled to raise output by 180,000 barrels per day in December. Iraq and Kazakhstan have pledged to cut 123,000 bpd in September to compensate for earlier pumping above agreed levels.

OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Thursday that the producer group is set to go ahead with a December oil output increase because its impact will be small should a plan for some members to make larger cuts to compensate for overproduction be delivered in September and later months.

Speaking at the Russian Energy Week, Putin said on Thursday, “Russia is fulfilling its obligations to supply energy resources to the global market. It plays a stabilizing role in it, participating in such authoritative formats as OPEC+, and the GECF.”

He added: “And we will certainly continue this cooperation with our partners.”

Putin praised cooperation with the BRICS group of countries, which Moscow sees as a counterbalance to the West, adding that Russia will continue cooperation with the OPEC+ oil producers.

Putin also acknowledged difficulties in payments for Russian energy exports, for which “friendly” counries, which have not introduced sanctions against Russia, account for 90%.

Russian oil and gas sales account for around a third of total state budget revenues and have been crucial for underpinning country's economy, which faces multiple sanctions from the West over the military conflict with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week that all countries participating in the OPEC+ deal are currently in full compliance with their respective obligations, Russian, according to the Interfax news agency.

He said Russia aims to be producing 540 million tons of oil per year by 2050 in the baseline scenario, but this amount might be adjusted depending on the country's obligations within OPEC+.

“Indeed, 540 million tons is the baseline scenario for which we're aiming [for oil output by 2050], but with a caveat taking into account cooperation with our partners in OPEC+. We have no objective to flood the market if it does not require this. But [it also works] the other way, to give the market additional resources if this is required,” Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin said.

He said Russia is not worried about potential growth of demand in the period to 2030 or the period to 2050.

“In our view, it's fairly substantial. It's at least 5 million-7 million bpd, meaning about 4.5%-5.5% from current consumption to 2030. Subsequently, we're talking about around 5% additional growth to 2050,” Sorokin said.

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US Economy Grew at Solid 3% Rate Last Quarter, Government Says in Final Estimate

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange, at rear, is shown on Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
FILE - The New York Stock Exchange, at rear, is shown on Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
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US Economy Grew at Solid 3% Rate Last Quarter, Government Says in Final Estimate

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange, at rear, is shown on Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
FILE - The New York Stock Exchange, at rear, is shown on Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

The American economy expanded at a healthy 3% annual pace from April through June, boosted by strong consumer spending and business investment, the government said Thursday, leaving its previous estimate unchanged.
The Commerce Department reported that the nation's gross domestic product — the nation's total output of goods and services — picked up sharply in the second quarter from the tepid 1.6% annual rate in the first three months of the year, The Associated Press reported.
Consumer spending, the primary driver of the economy, grew last quarter at a 2.8% pace, down slightly from the 2.9% rate the government had previously estimated. Business investment was also solid: It increased at a vigorous 8.3% annual pace last quarter, led by a 9.8% rise in investment in equipment.
The final GDP estimate for the April-June quarter included figures showing that inflation continues to ease, to just above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The central bank’s favored inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — rose at a 2.5% annual rate last quarter, down from 3% in the first quarter of the year. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation grew at a 2.8% pace, down from 3.7% from January through March.
The US economy, the world's biggest, displayed remarkable resilience in the face of the 11 interest rate hikes the Fed carried out in 2022 and 2023 to fight the worst bout of inflation in four decades. Since peaking at 9.1% in mid-2022, annual inflation as measured by the consumer price index has tumbled to 2.5%.
Despite the surge in borrowing rates, the economy kept growing and employers kept hiring. Still, the job market has shown signs of weakness in recent months. From June through August, America's employers added an average of just 116,000 jobs a month, the lowest three-month average since mid-2020, when the COVID pandemic had paralyzed the economy. The unemployment rate has ticked up from a half-century low 3.4% last year to 4.2%, still relatively low.
Last week, responding to the steady drop in inflation and growing evidence of a more sluggish job market, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflected its new focus on shoring up the job market now that inflation has largely been tamed.
Some other barometers of the economy still look healthy. Americans last month increased their spending at retailers, for example, suggesting that consumers are still able and willing to spend more despite the cumulative impact of three years of excess inflation and high borrowing rates. The nation’s industrial production rebounded. The pace of single-family-home construction rose sharply from the pace a year earlier.
And this month, consumer sentiment rose for a third straight month, according to preliminary figures from the University of Michigan. The brighter outlook was driven by “more favorable prices as perceived by consumers” for cars, appliances, furniture and other long-lasting goods.
A category within GDP that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 2.7% annual rate, though that was down from 2.9% in the first quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.
Though the Fed now believes inflation is largely defeated, many Americans remain upset with still-high prices for groceries, gas, rent and other necessities. Former President Donald Trump blames the Biden-Harris administration for sparking an inflationary surge. Vice President Kamala Harris, in turn, has charged that Trump’s promise to slap tariffs on all imports would raise prices for consumers even further.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department also issued revisions to previous GDP estimates. From 2018 through 2023, growth was mostly higher — an average annual rate of 2.3%, up from a previously reported 2.1% — largely because of upward revisions to consumer spending. The revisions showed that GDP grew 2.9% last year, up from the 2.5% previously reported.
Thursday’s report was the government’s third and final estimate of GDP growth for the April-June quarter. It will release its initial estimate of July-September GDP growth on Oct. 30.