Russia could continue its participation in the OPEC+ oil production agreement even after it officially expires at the end of this year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday. Novak met in St Petersburg with Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who made a surprise appearance at a Russian economic forum. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the leaders of the OPEC+ deal, have reiterated they would stick together in the pact, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the plunge in Russian oil production as a result of Western sanctions. Russia is estimated to be more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) below its target production level under the OPEC+ agreement. Earlier this month, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that the OPEC+ alliance is solid , with the level of cooperation within it strong. […]