Who’s The Real Friend of Russia

Why one country’s policies could tell if they were a real friend of Russia, depending on the leadership.

Photo by Michael Parulava on Unsplash

As of late, the question of allegiances between countries has become a debated subject on social media and in politics.

Many people are rolling their eyes because it seems like whenever Donald Trump’s involved the Russians get brought up. Trump has long maintained he understood and admired some aspects of Putin's leadership. Which to some sounds horrible.

But when you look at US policy on issues like economics and energy a different picture comes into focus.

It’s long been held that Russia is a major player in OPEC. It’s no secret. If you’re unaware of this, a Google search would confirm it. However, Trump’s energy policy has always been anti-OPEC. “Drill baby drill!”

Since a chief economic source of support for Russia comes from its export of petroleum, if one of the world’s largest oil consumers is drilling massive supplies domestically, it does two things. One, it means less need by that country, namely the United States in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The other is the effect it has on the barrel of oil. The global pricing of oil harms Putin’s government's finances when it bottoms out. Now, if you look at the price today, compared to 2020, what does it show?

In 2020, the price of the barrel averaged $49.99. The pandemic did some damage due to the lack of use. In October of 2019, the price was in the $60s. Today, it’s in the 70s. Today’s prices are going down.

The effect of that on a country dependent upon its oil exports for support isn’t a good one. Once America opens up drilling, and we’re energy independent, Putin will have to hunt even more for financial support for his War in Ukraine, and any other military plans he might have for Europe.

Overall, stripping Putin of his finances is a good thing for the world, and an American president hell-bent on his country becoming energy independent isn’t just good for America when dictators depend on oil for financial support of their country, it’s good for the world.

In contrast, the last administration's energy policies were questionable. We saw the price go through the roof at the pump, the barrel price soared, and domestic projects stagnated or were canceled. Biden’s run on ending fossil fuels emboldened the energy companies to cut back in the face of an unfriendly energy policy.

Putin’s economy, and finances, would have benefited from this. It was of further benefit when Biden approved waiving sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream pipeline, even after he canceled the Keystone pipeline in the US.

Putin is known as cunning and intelligent. Anything he has someone else do is going to play into his long game. As the world watches and questions whys of things, watching how the policies affect other world governments on an economic level is one way of knowing whether a leader is a true friend of another country, or acting counter to that countries goals and interests.