Shell defends 'difficult' decision to buy Russian crude oil

Shell has defended its decision to purchase Russian crude oil despite the invasion and bombardment of Ukraine

The oil giant said in a statement that the decision to purchase the fuel at a discounted price was "difficult".

It confirmed that it had bought a cargo of Russian crude oil on Friday but it had "no alternative”, Qazet.az reports.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out at the energy company, asking on Twitter: "Doesn't Russian oil smell Ukrainian blood for you?"
Although the purchase does not violate any sanctions introduced by Western countries, Mr Kuleba called on businesses to continue to apply pressure to Russia.