Rosneft recently requested $41.5 billion in state aid, and Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev just acknowledged that Moscow might throw the state-owned oil company a lifeline.

In a recent monthly oil market report, the IEA downplayed the effect of sanctions on Russian energy production, but Rosneft’s recent request for $42 billion in state aid paints an altogether different picture.

The United States is understandably worried that sanctions against Russian energy companies would adversely effect its biggest customers: our allies in Europe. But by focusing its efforts on preventing new oil and gas tech from making its way to Siberian shale and Arctic oil and gas reserves, the West could hamper Russia’s long-term strategic interests without endangering its short-term energy needs.