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Sri Lanka May Turn to Russian Oil as Moscow Searches for Sanctions Workarounds
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Sri Lanka is in talks with Russia about securing steady supplies of Russian oil, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Moscow, Shobini Gunasekera, said in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS on December 15.
According to the diplomat, Sri Lanka’s state-owned petroleum corporation is discussing not only crude oil imports but also potential supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as plans to modernize a domestic oil refinery to enable sustained use of Russian energy resources.
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“No agreements have been signed yet, but negotiations are ongoing. We have submitted the relevant proposal,” Gunasekera said.
Analysts note that any future energy cooperation between Colombo and Moscow could open an additional revenue stream for Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, as oil and gas exports remain a critical source of hard currency for the Kremlin.
The talks also highlight Russia’s continued push to expand energy sales beyond Europe as it seeks alternative markets amid Western sanctions.
Ukraine and its international partners have repeatedly stressed the need to disrupt such arrangements, arguing that energy revenues allow Moscow to sustain its military campaign and blunt the impact of economic pressure imposed over the war.
Earlier, the European Union decided to expedite the process of sanctioning vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet that are transporting Russian oil, regardless of the timing of general sanctions packages against Russia.
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