WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Monday accused “state actors” of touching off an historic slump in global oil prices, and urged Russia’s ambassador to the United States to consider the importance of calming the markets.
Oil prices suffered their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday as top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia launched a price war in the face of weak demand prompted by the spread of the coronavirus.
“These attempts by state actors to manipulate and shock oil markets reinforce the importance of the role of the United States as a reliable energy supplier to partners and allies around the world,” U.S. Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement.
The department did not name any country, but said it was watching the fallout from last week’s meeting in which a three-year pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia, the top producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries