On Oil and Gas Exports to Indonesia, Russian Ambassador: No "Friend's Price" in Business

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Indonesia, Sergei Gennadievich Tolchenov, stated that there are no discounts for oil purchases from his country, including for Indonesia, which is exploring cooperation to buy oil from Russia.

He explained that the Russian government does not sell oil, as purchases are conducted under a business-to-business (B2B) scheme between Russian oil companies and Indonesian oil companies.

Sergei noted that many countries have courted Russia by requesting a “friend’s price” due to the closeness between the leaders of the two nations.

“Friends, this is a market economy; there are no friends in business,” he added.

Sergei mentioned that Russia may have faced difficult times in 2022 when various economic sanctions were imposed due to the conflict with Ukraine.

At that time, Russia offered significant oil discounts to countries interested in establishing cooperation.

But the situation is now different; Sergei said that Russian Energy Minister Tsivilev even wants to raise oil prices for countries seeking cooperation.

“So we are getting more money than the normal price. But this is the market economy; this is the current situation,” he further remarked.

Regarding Russia’s readiness to sell oil to Indonesia, Sergei assured that his country has given the green light.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have emphasised that Russian oil companies should be prepared to provide services to countries wishing to buy their oil.

“If they are serious, if they want to have long-term contracts and buy oil regularly, we are even ready to supply them (Western countries). That’s not a problem; we are a very responsible and sustainable resource supplier,” he said.