Australia imports Russian fuel via third countries, bypassing its own sanctions

Australian firms may be indirectly funding Russia's war against Ukraine by importing refined petroleum products that originate in Russia. A new analysis by CREA proves this, the Guardian reports.

Although Australia stopped buying Russian oil directly after the start of the war in Ukraine, laws allow it to import through third countries such as Singapore. The latter has received more than 22 million tonnes of Russian oil in the past two years. A third of that has gone to a terminal in which Australia's Macquarie Bank also has a stake.

From there, the oil was sold to companies such as Trafigura and Vitol, which also supply Australian companies, including Viva Energy, a supplier of fuel to the military. Although all the companies claim to be complying with the law, they cannot guarantee that Russian oil has not made it to Australia.

Critics, including the Ukrainian diaspora, are calling for greater transparency and tougher sanctions. The European Union and the United Kingdom have already announced that they will also ban brokered imports of Russian oil from 2026.

(mja)