Sri Lankan president calls Russian leader seeking fuel

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that he had a telephone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to request credit support to import fuel for the island nation that’s facing its worst economic crisis in memory. Western nations largely have cut off energy imports from Russia in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said earlier that the government would look for other sources first but it has not been successful. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, global oil prices have skyrocketed, prompting a number of countries to seek out Russian crude, offered at steep discounts. The government said earlier that no entity is willing to supply oil to Sri Lanka even for cash.