Sri Lanka, surrounded by economic and political crisis, has obtained crude oil from Russia.
According to AFP, Sri Lanka is facing its worst crisis since independence. The country is short of essential commodities, including petroleum products. The state-owned oil refinery Salon Petroleum Corporation closed in March due to a foreign exchange crisis and the government was unable to import crude oil.
Sri Lankan Energy Minister Kanchana Vajisakera said Russian oil had been at the Colombo port for a month, but the country did not have ??? 75 million to pay.
Sri Lanka is negotiating for direct crude oil, coal, diesel and petrol from Moscow, despite US sanctions on Russia. EU leaders are meeting on Monday to impose sanctions on Russia, including on oil.
