Tusk hints at the country that could benefit most from the chaos in the Middle East

Tusk drew attention, in particular, to the continuing rise in oil prices.

The Polish prime minister also noted that the United States could lift sanctions on Russian oil and asked a rhetorical question.

“The war in the Middle East continues and chaos spreads. Oil prices are rising. Washington may lift sanctions on Russian oil. Who is the real winner here?” – wrote Tusk.

The head of the US Treasury Department, Scott Bessent, reported that against the backdrop of the conflict against Iran, the United States may lift sanctions on Russian oil. Before this, he said that Washington had eased sanctions against India and allowed the country's oil refineries to buy Russian oil “that is already at sea” for 30 days.

Shortly before this, Reuters, citing traders, reported that India and China began to become more actively interested in Russian oil due to the risks of interruptions in the supply of raw materials from the Middle East.

Context

Against the background of the Israeli and US military operation against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, Bloomberg warned that in response to the escalation, Tehran is considering the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important routes for global oil trade. It supplies about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies. Every day, millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products pass through it from the Middle East to Asia, Europe and the United States. Most exporters in the region, in particular Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iran itself, do not have a viable alternative to this route.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz then practically stopped, and already on March 2, at the opening of trading, the price of Brent oil rose by 13%, to over $82 per barrel. Tehran said the strait remained open but claimed responsibility for the attacks on the three tankers.