SINGAPORE: As the stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz continues, more South-east Asian countries have turned to Russia for fuel supply, possibly increasing its influence in the region.
The Philippines has started receiving oil supplies from Russia, while Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Apr 18 that the country’s state-owned oil giant Petronas would negotiate oil purchases from Russia to ensure sufficient domestic supply.
On Apr 13, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow to secure Russian supply of crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The Middle East war has led to a virtual halt in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil exports. Asian countries have been especially affected, as 80 per cent of these exports would be bound for Asia, according to the International Energy Agency.
“Our crude oil import needs a year is around 300 million barrels. We will take (what we need) from anywhere,” Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia told reporters on Apr 16 in a briefing on Prabowo’s Russia visit.
“We have achieved quite positive results where we can secure additional crude oil reserves. In addition, we will also be able to obtain LPG,” said Bahlil of the talks in Russia.
Indonesia’s agreement with Russia can help it reduce its reliance on the US for LPG, commonly used for cooking in Indonesia. So far in 2026, about 70 per cent of Indonesia’s LPG supply has come from the US, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an online data platform.
On Apr 15, a senior Indonesian government official told The Straits Times that Washington has recently attempted to leverage this dependency in non-trade negotiations.
“The US is seeking broader military cooperation, warning through back-channel negotiations that LPG shipments could be disrupted if an agreement is not reached,” said the senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Analysts say that for Asean, considerable challenges to energy cooperation remain.
Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz – a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies – sending energy price shocks rippling through the global economy.
Decarbonisation is making a comeback thanks to the Iran war. The test is whether it can be sustained.
On Apr 13, amid Prabowo’s Russia visit, Indonesia and the US signed a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership in Washington to boost efforts in military modernisation, training and joint exercises, and operational cooperation.
Amid reports that the US had sought broader military use of Indonesia’s airspace, the country’s Defence Ministry clarified that any proposal on US military overflight access was not part of the agreement and remains under separate consideration.
Similarly, on Apr 15, officials from Myanmar were in Moscow to discuss energy cooperation.
