In the US, nominee for US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he would support tighter sanctions on Russia, including on Russian oil majors, to “levels that would bring the Russian Federation to the table”, to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian energy minister has said a gas pipeline to Iran would go through Azerbaijan, with initial plans to transport 2 bcm a year, rising to as much as 55 bcm a year in the future.