Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia announced on Friday (17/4/2026) that Indonesia expects its first shipments of Russian crude oil to arrive this April as part of a strategic move to diversify energy sources amid escalating global geopolitical tensions.

"We anticipate the crude oil shipments can be dispatched to Indonesia within this month to bolster our national reserves," he said during a press briefing in Jakarta, as cited by antaranews.com.

The procurement followed high-level negotiations held in Moscow between President Prabowo Subianto and Russian authorities last Monday. This shift aims to reduce Indonesia's heavy reliance on Middle Eastern and US supplies, which have faced increased volatility following recent conflicts and infrastructure disruptions in Saudi Arabia.

Beyond crude oil, the government is finalizing agreements for Russian Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to fill a massive 8.4 million-ton domestic deficit. Minister Bahlil emphasized that diversifying suppliers is essential to ensuring national energy reliability while global markets remain fractured by ongoing international crises.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)