How does this help Putin?
Nice personalization.
It helps Russia.
Buying into a market that won't raise production [the Saudis, UAE and other members of OPEC] increases the price of oil.
A lot.
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Yellen-Warns-EU-About-Banning-Russian-Oil.html
A full EU ban on Russian crude oil and gas imports could have unintended economic consequences for the United States and its Western allies, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters in Washington on Thursday [April 21st].
The Treasury Secretary added that such a ban could do more harm than good.
Europe does need to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, Yellen said, “but we need to be careful when we think about a complete European ban on, say, oil imports.”
...Yellen’s warning follows JP Morgan’s from earlier this week that suggested a full and immediate ban in the EU on Russian energy supplies would cut off more than 4 million bpd of Russian oil and send crude oil prices to $185 per barrel.
...Yellen agreed that a European energy ban would raise oil prices, “and, counterintuitively, it could actually have very little negative impact on Russia” because while Russia could end up exporting less oil, the price it would get for each barrel could also go up. The U.S. Administration has been railing against high gasoline prices—a result of high crude oil prices—since last Fall.
Do you see how this benefits Russia [and Putin]?
Five days ago, from The Slimes, no friend of Pootie:
Why U.S. Oil Companies Aren’t Riding to Europe’s Rescue
April 26, 2022
https://archive.ph/uORtk
...U.S. oil companies are not alone. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have also refused to pump a lot more oil since Russia’s war in Ukraine began in late February.