“There is a performance going on”: ex-employee of the State Department Sobchenko revealed the “conspiracy” of the United States and Russia around Ukraine

American political expert and former US State Department official Alexei Sobchenko admits that there is a “planned game” between Russia and the United States around Ukraine, one of the goals of which is to support the position of President Joe Biden ahead of the November 2022 congressional elections. An ex-employee of the State Department expressed this opinion in an interview with RTVI.

Recall that back in November-December last year, the world media was filled with the topic of the alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that should follow. According to the authors and experts of these publications, a sign of “invasion” is the concentration of Russian military equipment in the regions bordering Ukraine. Among the likely sanctions are both the shutdown of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, as well as restrictions against Russian energy companies, and the shutdown of the SWIFT system of “fast” financial settlements.

Sobchenko does not rule out that the US Democratic Party has “its own interest in escalating the situation” around the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“Yes, of course it can be. I have a feeling that there is some performance going on, where they are trying to convince us that a war is about to happen. (…) Now, of course, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not attack, but Biden intends to get out of this situation as a peacemaker, he wants to show that he saved the world from war in Europe and thus try to cover up the shame, the horror that he brought on themselves as a result of the Afghan defeat and the shameful exit (US troops – ed.) from Kabul. I must say that all this is happening in the light of the upcoming elections to Congress. Democrats could lose Congress, which would be further evidence that Biden is a bad president. And so we are witnessing a performance, the meaning of which is to prove that Biden can do something, ”the ex-employee of the State Department expressed his version of the situation.

At the same time, he is sure that “Putin is also participating in this performance, who “receives a very specific benefit.”

“In the current administration (White House – ed.), two people who support rapprochement with Russia are Bill Burns and (Jake) Sullivan, head of the National Security Council. But then there’s (Secretary Anthony) Blinken, who is less of a rapprochementist, but even he says we’re calling for Russia to pull back so there’s no attack, and for the conflict to be resolved through the Minsk agreements.” Sobchenko stressed, adding that “this is exactly what Putin needs.”

Meanwhile, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of books on the oil and gas industry Daniel Yergin, in an interview with Bloomberg, predicted oil would rise to $100 a barrel if the conflict between the United States and Russia over Ukraine escalated, Lenta.ru notes.

According to the economist, increased geopolitical tensions could provoke a “panic reaction in the market.” An excellent stabilizer of the oil market in the current situation is the activity of American producers, who are actively increasing production, Yergin believes.

“Oil and gas production in the United States is a great geopolitical asset,” he stressed.

Let us add that the Russian budget also benefits from high oil prices.