Ambassador: Russia Ready to Supply Oil to Indonesia Despite EU Sanctions
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Russia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, has emphasised that Russia continues to be a reliable partner ready to supply oil and gas to partner nations, including Indonesia, in line with agreements, despite facing EU sanctions.
He conveyed this after the screening of the film “Russia’s History in Space” in Jakarta on Monday evening, in response to questions about Russian oil exports to Indonesia and the new EU sanctions.
“We are ready to supply oil and gas to our friends, and Indonesia is one of our friends and strategic partners. So, we are following these agreements,” said Ambassador Tolchenov.
According to him, during discussions in Moscow between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia with partners, several agreements were reached.
“Now we just need to see how to implement those agreements,” stated the Russian Ambassador.
Regarding the EU sanctions, Ambassador Tolchenov said Russia does not view them as a problem and added that Russia remains in good condition, despite having faced EU sanctions for over 10 years.
Furthermore, the Russian Ambassador mentioned that the EU sanctions are illegal and stated that only the UN Security Council can impose sanctions on sovereign states.
As is known, on 23 April, the EU announced a new sanctions package against Russia that includes 36 new listings in Russia’s energy sector, covering upstream and downstream activities such as oil exploration, extraction, refining, and transportation.
Two Russian ports, in the cities of Murmansk and Tuapse, as well as Indonesia’s Karimun Oil Terminal, were added to the list due to their involvement in sanctions evasion.
On 30 April, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government’s priority is to ensure the urgent energy security of the Indonesian people by cooperating with various partners, including the US and Russia.
“In the midst of the current highly dynamic geopolitical situation, we need to secure energy resilience as a very urgent national interest, and we are cooperating with various partners, including the United States and Russia,” said spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela.
In line with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 2 May, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia stated that crude oil from Russia soon to enter Indonesia is part of efforts to maintain national energy supply resilience amid global geopolitical dynamics.
That step is also part of the realisation of the commitment to import 150 million barrels of oil from Russia, which will be carried out gradually until the end of 2026.