Zelenskyy says Russia has already earned back $10 billion of its 2026 deficit in 2 weeks of the Iran war

"Now we see they have made around 10 billion over two weeks of the war in the Middle East. This is really dangerous. It gives Putin more confidence that he can continue the war. The situation around Iran brings him more money."

"Ukrainian intelligence reports indicated that global oil sanctions and Kyiv's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure had pushed Moscow's deficit for 2026 to over $100 billion. Russia, meanwhile, stands to gain from rising oil prices as one of the world's largest exporters, though its dominance has been partially stymied by Western sanctions."

"Both have heavily bombed Iran's oil infrastructure, which produces crude primarily for Asian markets, while Tehran's retaliatory strikes have also damaged energy facilities in the Middle East. More critically, Tehran is effectively stalling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for about a fifth of the world's oil."

Russia has recovered roughly 10% of its 2026 oil trade deficit through earnings from the recent Middle East conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate Moscow faced a deficit exceeding $100 billion due to global oil sanctions and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. The two-week conflict generated approximately $10 billion for Russia as oil prices surged following Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Rising oil prices benefit Russia as a major global exporter, despite Western sanctions limiting its market dominance. The Trump administration temporarily eased Russian oil sanctions for approximately four weeks to address global oil supply concerns, further supporting Russian revenue.

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