Indonesia and Thailand, following India and China, have expressed their readiness to buy Russian oil amid the global energy crisis and restrictions on supplies from the Persian Gulf, effectively forming a queue of buyers.
Indonesia is considering imports to diversify sources after the easing of US sanctions, seeking competitive prices. The country’s energy minister has said it is ready to import Russian oil. Previously, the country bought oil from Saudi Arabia, but imports fell fourfold in February.
The vessel Pertamina Pride, an extra-large crude oil tanker owned by Indonesian state energy company Pertamina, is among those stranded in the Persian Gulf since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Pertamina has previously considered Russian oil in its tenders.
Thailand has also turned to Russia for oil supplies amid the Gulf energy crisis. The country has declared only 100 days of oil reserves and has initiated talks with Russia to ensure energy security, news portals reported.
