US may ask China to reduce russian oil imports - WSJ

The United States plans to ask China to reduce purchases of russian oil and increase energy imports from the United States. Washington believes that such a move could weaken russia's position in the war against Ukraine.

It was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, on the eve of US President Donald Trump's visit to China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is formulating key issues for negotiations. One of the topics may be energy, in particular, the reduction of Chinese purchases of russian oil.

Sources say that Bessent is already discussing the possibility of convincing Beijing to buy more oil and gas from the United States instead of russian resources.

It is expected that this issue may also be raised during Bessent's meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris in mid-March. There, the parties plan to agree on the framework for the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which is tentatively scheduled for early April.

At the same time, the WSJ notes that such a decision will not be easy for China. Currently, Beijing buys russian oil at significant discounts, while American energy products are more expensive.

"American oil would become much more expensive, and the refusal to supply Russian oil would undermine Beijing's relations with the Kremlin and weaken Moscow's position in the war in Ukraine," the publication notes.

In addition, Washington is considering asking China to reduce its purchases of Iranian oil. According to WSJ, although a significant part of its supplies has been suspended after the US and Israeli strikes, the US side is seeking to reduce China's long-term dependence on Iranian energy resources if exports resume.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Reuters wrote that the war between Israel and the United States against Iran may disrupt the supply chain of key components needed for the production of microchips.

According to Bloomberg, China, which is highly dependent on oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf, called on Iran not to attack tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and LNG production in Qatar.