Putin's Oil Moves Rattle OPEC's Patience.

Russia's relationship with OPEC is being tested as it continues to supply large amounts of discounted oil to the market, undercutting OPEC's prices and causing member states to lose market share. OPEC is losing confidence in Russia and seeking more oil output transparency. If Russia continues to ignore quotas and undercut prices, it could lead to chaos in the energy alliance. The price of oil has fallen due to Russia's actions, but OPEC needs the Brent crude benchmark to reach above $80 a barrel to pay for government spending and import bills.