Russian Oil Imports Under Consideration, Energy Ministry Delegates Decision to Pertamina

JAKARTA – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is opening the possibility of redirecting crude oil imports from the Middle East to Russia.

Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung stated that this option can be considered if there is a relaxation of global sanctions against Russia.

However, the decision regarding oil imports rests entirely with PT Pertamina (Persero), the state-owned oil and gas company.

“That is a business decision for Pertamina to make. So whichever option is more needed, as long as there is relaxation, we will certainly take advantage of that process,” said Yuliot at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry in Jakarta on Friday (13 March 2026).

“There has been no study yet,” he added.

Previously, Indonesia decided to redirect crude oil imports from the Middle East to the United States amid rising geopolitical tensions in the region.

The global energy market situation is also influenced by conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Amid these conditions, the United States government has relaxed some sanctions against Russia.

The US Department of the Treasury on Thursday (12 March 2026) local time issued a new general licence allowing transactions related to Russian oil already in maritime transit.

This policy is temporary and aims to help stabilise the global energy market experiencing supply pressure.

According to CNBC, approximately 124 million barrels of Russian oil are currently at sea across around 30 global locations as of 12 March 2026.

This volume is estimated to be equivalent to global oil supplies for five to six days.

This situation demonstrates the potential for disruption to the global energy market if the oil does not soon return to normal distribution channels.