A US spokesperson, asked to comment on Pakistan’s purchase of discounted Russian oil in Chinese currency, said Tuesday that each country has to make its own choices with respect to its energy imports. “I would say, first of all, with respect to that transaction, we have been very clear that each country has to make its own choices based on its own circumstances in terms of energy imports,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in response to a question at his daily press briefing in Washington. “One of the things that I think is notable about that is that – our understanding is that Russian oil was sold at a significant discount to market rates,” he said. In fact, he said it was a sign that the price cap the U.S. imposed on Russian oil has driven down the price for Russian oil, as a result of which it sells well below market prices. As a result of that strategy, Miller added, “Russia has been prevented from making an additional 100 billion dollars which it could have used in its war machine against Ukraine.” Further asked whether Pakistan consulted with the U.S. before the deal, he said, “I’m not going to speak to any private diplomatic conversations, other than to say that we consult with partners all around the world on these questions, but … we understand that these are choices that every country must make for themselves.”