Malaysia joins a number of Southeast Asian countries seeking Russian oil

Malaysia is joining a growing list of countries in Southeast Asia seeking to secure oil from Russia amid an energy crunch as a result of the US-Israel conflict with Iran that is now into its eighth week.



Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that national oil company Petronas is set to negotiate with Russia to purchase oil and ensure a sufficient supply for domestic use.



Anwar noted that many European and American countries that previously sanctioned Russia are now competing to buy its oil.



“Fortunately, our relations with Russia remain good. Therefore, the Petronas team can negotiate with them,”Anwar said



Earlier, there have been reports that several other Southeast Asian nations had also reached out to or struck deals to purchase Russian oil.