South-east Asia, which relied heavily on the Middle East for energy and fertiliser, is desperately seeking to plug huge gaps in its supplies
The European Union has sounded the alarm to countries in south-east Asia, urging them not to turn to Russia for oil supplies as they try to cope with widespread fuel shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.
After meeting foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Brunei on Tuesday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on the region to see the “big picture”, saying the purchase of Russian oil would enable the country to continue the Ukraine war.
But across the region, which relies heavily on the Middle East for energy and fertiliser, those warnings appear to be falling on deaf ears, as countries line up to do deals with Moscow.
Indonesia announced last week it will import up to 150m barrels of Russian crude, after President Prabowo Subianto met Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Philippines, a US ally, received its first shipment of Russian crude oil in five years in March. Thailand is reportedly negotiating with Russia to buy fertiliser, while Vietnam signed a deal with Russia before the war to build a nuclear power plant, an agreement that has now taken on greater urgency.
