Valdis Dombrovskis questioned whether Russia could supply enough diesel meeting US quality standards, saying the volumes would have little macroeconomic impact. (EPA Images pic)BANGKOK: EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis told AFP on Tuesday that Russian diesel sales recently authorised by the US were unlikely to move the price of the commodity, which has spiked since the start of the Iran war.
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had spoken to President Vladimir Putin and they had struck an agreement for Russia to release large amounts of diesel onto world markets, a bid to lower prices that have spiked since the US leader launched the war on Iran on Feb 28.
"As regards specifically this question on Russian diesel exports, if we look at the volumes, they are not of any macroeconomic significance, and frankly, there are strong doubts whether Russia is even able to supply those volumes, and according also to US quality standards, those are big question marks," Dombrovskis said in an exclusive interview with AFP on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok.
