Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has warned that if the United States succeeds in gaining control over Venezuela’s oil fields — after already consolidating influence over Guyana’s vast offshore reserves — Washington could find itself controlling more than half of the world’s proven oil reserves.
According to Deripaska, such dominance would allow the US to exert unprecedented leverage over global energy prices, potentially keeping oil at around $50 per barrel. He argues that this price level would place severe strain on Russia’s state-capitalist economic model, which relies heavily on higher energy revenues to sustain government spending, industrial policy, and geopolitical influence.
Deripaska’s remarks reflect growing anxiety among Russian elites over shifting global energy power dynamics, especially as US-backed energy projects expand in Latin America while Moscow faces sanctions, constrained export routes, and long-term pressure on its hydrocarbons-based economy.
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