Indonesia under pressure as it weighs buying Russia’s ‘blood oil’

Indonesia under pressure as it weighs buying Russia’s ‘blood oil’

Indonesia’s plan to buy oil from Russia amid the war in Ukraine has ignited an argument over where the country should come down on global issues.

The south-east Asian nation, which desperately needs cheap oil to tame inflation, regardless of where it comes from, has attracted strong criticism and accusations that buying from Russia will only fill President Vladimir Putin’s war chest.

Under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia has long prioritised domestic concerns over global ones, placing a heavy focus on developing its infrastructure and minerals processing industry. But as this year’s G20 chair and an emerging economy leader, Widodo might now feel added pressure over his government’s inward-looking policies.

Even Greenpeace seems to be pointing a finger at Widodo. Activists from the environmentalist group in late March used kayaks and inflatable boats to manoeuvre between two oil tankers, including the Indonesia-owned Pertamina Prime. Greenpeace said it was stopping the transshipment of Russian oil to the Pertamina Prime. Its kayaking activists were even able to paint the words “OIL FUELS WAR” on the tanker’s hull.

Although the tanker is owned by Pertamina International Shipping, a subsidiary of the state-owned oil and gas company, it is not clear whether it was attempting to deliver Russian