WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2022) The United States has no reason to suspect that Russia is behind the oil tanker jam in Turkish waters reportedly in relation to the Western price cap imposed on Russian oil, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
"There is no reason to suspect that the Russian government was involved in Turkey's decision to bar ships from transiting to the Mediterranean," Yellen said on Thursday after attending an event commemorating the US Currency.
Earlier in the day, crude oil prices increased on reports of a tanker log jam in Turkey due to the controversy over the West's bid to put a cap on the selling price of Russian oil. Oil markets eventually settled lower for a fifth straight day after the US Treasury Department issued a statement saying there was no Russian oil aboard the tankers.
"We've been in touch with Turkey about how the price cap only applies to Russian oil, and explained that the cap doesn't necessitate additional checks on ships passing through Turkish waters," the statement said. "Our understanding is that virtually all of the delayed tankers are not carrying oil from Russia and are not affected by the cap."
The statement said the price cap on Russian oil imposed by the US-led collective West did not necessitate checks of every tanker passing through Turkish waters and Ankara has made clear it is working quickly to resolve the issue.
The statement also said that Turkey shares US interests in maintaining a well-supplied oil market.
On December 5, Western states and their allies placed a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian crude allegedly to limit the money Moscow can earn from oil exports to fund its special military operation in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said the price cap is unacceptable and Russia will not sell oil to any country that tries to implement it.
