David Fickling, Columnist

America’s Oil Reserve Weapon Risks Misfiring

Washington isn’t the only player in this drama. Watch how OPEC+ nations react to the move.

This could fall flat.

Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg
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In oil markets, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve has a reputation a little like the one the Russian armed forces used to have — vast and fearsome, a rival you’d be unwise to tangle with.

Russia’s aura of military invincibility was dealt a near-fatal blow over the past month in the muddy fields of Ukraine. The Biden administration should watch out: America’s most formidable energy weapon may fall flat, too.