German general says oil price surge will be no game changer for Russia in Ukraine war

By Sabine Siebold

BERLIN, March 18 (Reuters) - An oil price hike driven by the Iran conflict and the loosening of U.S. sanctions on Moscow is unlikely to significantly impact Russia's war in Ukraine, a senior German general said.

Russia generates a major share of its revenue from energy sales. With no signs of a de-escalation in fighting in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, oil prices are up around 45% since the start of the conflict on February 28.

"The current oil price is certainly an advantage for Russia, but I cannot imagine that it will be a game changer," Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, the head of Germany's Joint Force Command, told Reuters in an interview.

He noted that, while higher oil revenues may provide some short-term relief, they were unlikely to offset Russia's heavy wartime spending and past financial losses.

SECURING NATO'S BORDERS

Speaking on his return from northern Norway, where he visited German mountain troops participating in the Cold Response drills some 300 kilometres (185 miles) from the Russian border, Sollfrank cautioned the Kremlin against interpreting Washington's military engagement in the Gulf as a sign of weakness elsewhere.

"I would not be misled about the capabilities of the U.S. armed forces. I don't have any doubts that the Americans will fulfil their obligations to the alliance," he said.

"Russia should not make any miscalculations. We are vigilant, fully committed to securing our NATO borders. There must be no room for misperception."

Russia has insisted it does not intend to attack NATO.

Commenting on whether other NATO or EU countries might be dragged into the Middle East conflict, Sollfrank said "there is a risk", but noted that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others had not actively entered the fighting and that neither NATO nor the European Union had invoked their mutual defence clauses.

"This strongly suggests to me that all nations and governments in the surrounding regions are handling these decisions with great care and are examining the potential implications very, very thoroughly."

He declined to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's request for military support in the Strait of Hormuz.