Reflections on Recent U.S. Sanctions
Reflections on Recent U.S. Sanctions by Paolo Falconio Member of the Honorary Governing Council and lecturer at the Society of International Studies (SEI) When geopolitics is reduced to mere front-page news or stripped of rigorous and contextualized analysis, it risks becoming a distorted lens rather than a tool for interpreting reality. From this perspective, it is necessary to reflect on the sanctions recently adopted by the United States against the Russian energy companies Lukoil and Rosneft, as well as on China’s statement regarding the cessation of Russian oil supplies by sea (not all of them). The actual scope of these measures remains uncertain for now. Although crude oil prices have seen a significant increase—not only for Brent or WTI, but also for Russian Urals—the dynamics of energy supply are more complex than they might appear. China, in fact, does not rely solely on maritime imports but also receives Russian oil through pipelines crossing Kazakhsta...