Russia's foreign minister: there should be no intervention in global oil production

Russia's foreign minister says there should be no intervention in global energy production, even as the country's economy takes a hit from rapidly falling oil prices.

After a meeting with his Saudi counterpart in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov said both Russia and Saudi Arabia did not want oil production targets to be affected by "political or geopolitical designs."

The theory that the United States has manipulated global oil production to bring down prices is a popular theme on state-owned television in Russia, where the economy and state budget are heavily dependent on oil exports.

Also on Monday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Russian news agencies that the government was reviewing the possibility of lowering oil production, but still wasn't sure whether such a move would be feasible.