Geopolitics and Sanctions - The report suggests that current sanctions under President Biden were designed to help Putin sell oil [1] - President Biden allegedly asked India to import Russian oil to prevent oil prices from staying at $127 per barrel after Russia's invasion of Ukraine [2] - The US attempted to limit Russia's revenue through a price cap mechanism, enabling Russian oil to flow to India and China to keep US gasoline prices low [3][4] - President Trump has threatened to sanction India if they continue importing Russian oil [4] - The best-case scenario involves a ceasefire between Putin and Zelensky, potentially leading to the removal of European sanctions on Russia [7][8] - Europe has heavy sanctions, and new European sanctions are coming on refined products from Russian crude [8] Oil Market Dynamics - Shale oil production is reportedly declining [5] - The market is skeptical about disruption risk and sanctions, and is priced for de-escalation [9] - If the meeting fails and sanctions are implemented, the president will need to calibrate them to coincide with a loosening in global oil fundamentals to avoid sending oil prices up [5] - If Russian barrels are lost and crude oil prices rise above $100 again, shale oil cannot simply pump more to compensate [4]