BRUSSELS

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has questioned who ultimately stands to benefit as global instability in the Middle East and shifting Western energy policies send oil prices higher and revive debates over sanctions on Russian crude.

"The war in the Middle East continues and chaos is spreading. Oil prices are going up. Washington may lift sanctions on Russian oil. Who is the real winner here?" Tusk wrote on US social media platform X on Saturday.

Tusk's comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Washington is considering lifting sanctions on additional Russian oil to help address a temporary supply gap created by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy chokepoint amid the US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes.

Bessent's remarks follow a US decision to issue a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil in an effort to maintain global supply.