EU’s top diplomat calls on South-east Asian countries to seek alternatives to Russian oil
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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said Russia has benefited from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged partner countries in South-east Asia on April 28 not to turn to Russia for oil supplies as they try to cope with widespread fuel shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.
The EU approved a fresh round of sanctions on Russia in April, including tightened restrictions on oil trade, as it looks to undermine Moscow’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine.
Ms Kallas said Russia has benefited from the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transport route for about a fifth of the world's oil supplies and other vital goods.
“Just let me remind you that the oil revenues are the revenues that Russia is using to fund this war (in Ukraine). We have an interest that this war stops,” she told reporters after meeting with foreign ministers from ASEAN in Brunei.
“That’s why we are, of course, advocating for diversifying resources and finding them elsewhere, not from Russia.”
Ms Kallas said the EU was seeking ASEAN’s cooperation on its sanctions against Russia, saying the 27-nation bloc aims to target Russian oil revenues rather than individual countries or companies in South-east Asia.
“You have an energy crisis, and you need to have supplies. On the other hand, you have to see the big picture, which is that... if you buy Russian oil, they are able to continue with this war (in Ukraine),” she told Reuters in an interview after the ASEAN meeting.
South-east Asian nations including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia are among the countries seeking to source more oil from Russia, Reuters reported in March.
The purchase of Russian oil is also helping Iran to maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Ms Kallas said, without elaborating.
She questioned whether US President Donald Trump’s administration would re-focus on peace efforts in Ukraine, following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on April 27.
“If President Putin is openly praising Iran for their ‘heroic’ battles against America, does it then change America’s attitude towards Russia in the war on Ukraine? Because they have refrained so far from putting any pressure on Russia.” REUTERS
