Indonesia says US tariffs won’t affect its April Russian oil imports

Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto told reporters that Indonesia’s agreement to buy Russian crude in April will not be subject to the United States’ new tariff regime, since the purchase was finalized during a period when such imports were still allowed. The US, under legislation signed by Donald Trump, authorizes tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest purchasers of Russian oil or gas and on nations that knowingly continue buying Russian energy after the law’s start date.

Hartarto said the government sees no need to revisit its import plan, emphasizing that the window for permissible Russian oil purchases had already closed. Indonesia’s imports, arranged through a state-to-state deal, remain far smaller than those of the leading buyers India and China, according to the Institute for Energy Research. The policy aims to pressure Russia over the US-Israeli war on Iran, but Jakarta appears confident its current volumes will avoid punitive measures.