Syria agrees to cut Russian oil imports as part of US sanctions negotiations

Syria has reportedly agreed to reduce its imports of Russian crude oil as part of ongoing negotiations with the United States over sanctions relief. The move, if confirmed, would mark a significant shift in Syria’s post-Assad energy strategy, one that has leaned heavily on Moscow for fuel supplies since the regime’s fall in December 2024. Syria’s Russian oil problem Russian crude shipments to Syria increased roughly 75% year-over-year, reaching around 60,000 barrels per day by May 2026. That makes Russia Syria’s top supplier by a wide margin. Syria’s first deliveries of Russian crude came in early 2025. Average imports last year sat at about 49,000 barrels per day from Russia, with negligible volumes coming from anywhere else. Economist Karam Shaar has pointed to this reliance as a structural vulnerability for Syria’s new government. Heavy dependence on Russian crude leaves the country exposed to potential renewed Western sanctions pressure while simultaneously complicating its efforts to find alternative suppliers willing to step in at competitive rates. The US lifted its broad sanctions on Syria on July 1, 2025, opening the door for wider energy and financial transactions. But ta...