Pak plans to procure Russian crude oil at USD 50 per barrel

Cash-strapped Pakistan is making concerted efforts to procure Russian crude oil at USD 50 per barrel, at least USD 10 per barrel less than the price cap imposed by the G7 countries due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, media reports said on Sunday. Crude oil is currently being sold globally at USD 82.78 per barrel. Pakistan, which is currently grappling with high external debt and a weak local currency, is desperate to purchase cheap crude at discounted rates from Russia. Moscow will respond to Pakistan’s request for discounted crude oil only after it completes formalities such as mode of payment, shipping cost with premium and insurance, according to The News. The first consignment of crude oil from Moscow is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan by the end of next month, paving the way for a bigger deal in the future, the paper said. The shipping of crude oil from Russian ports will take 30 days, which would mean an increase of USD 10-15 per barrel due to the transportation costs, it added. Russia was initially concerned “over the seriousness of Pakistan to mature the oil deal,” but in a recent meeting between officials from the two countries, Moscow asked Islamabad to import “one oil cargo” as a test case to bridge the trust deficit, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.