Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about what could be done to stabilize world oil markets and prices.
Maduro made the comments as the two men, both leaders of major oil producing countries, began talks in Beijing, after attending a military parade to mark 70 years since the end of World War II in Asia.
"We can talk about what we can do to stabilize oil market and stabilize prices, what would allow us to overcome the current conditions," Maduro told Putin at the start of the meeting.
"We have some not bad ideas on this issue," said Maduro.
The economies of Russia and Venezuela are highly dependent on proceeds from the sale of oil, the price of which has almost halved since last year due to oversupply.
Moscow has so far been unwilling to deliberately cut its crude oil output to support prices, and the meeting of Putin and Maduro was not expected to yield any concrete results, a senior Russian source told Reuters on Wednesday.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.