Shell says it was “appalled” by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and would do whatever it can to avoid purchasing oil from Russia.
However, the supermajor has also acknowledged that it did recently buy crude oil from Russia.
“We are appalled by the war in Ukraine and have already made clear our intention to exit joint ventures with Gazprom – which is majority-owned by the Russian government – and related entities, as well as intending to end our involvement with a significant project to pipe gas from Russia to Europe,” Shell said.
The company had earlier announced that it was cutting ties with Gazprom.
Shell said it understood that recently bought crude oil from Russia might not be viewed in a favourable light.
“(Recently) we made the difficult decision to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil. Our refineries produce petrol and diesel as well as other products that people rely on every day. To be clear, without an uninterrupted supply of crude oil to refineries, the energy industry cannot assure continued provision of essential products to people across Europe over the weeks ahead. Cargoes from alternative sources would not have arrived in time to avoid disruptions to market supply.”
