Diaspora calls on Australian government to ban imports of fuel made from Russian oil

The Australian government has once again received an appeal from the Union of Ukrainian Organizations demanding that it close a loophole in sanctions that allows the import of fuel produced from Russian oil.

This was reported by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).

The head of the Union of Ukrainian Organizations of Australia (UOA), Kateryna Argyru, stated that Australia remains one of the largest buyers of such fuel, mainly from Indian plants that operate on Russian raw materials.

“This is not a technicality – it is a deadly loophole. Every dollar that Russia earns from oil sales is a dollar for missiles, drones and tanks that kill Ukrainians. It is unacceptable that in 2025 Australia is still importing fuel produced from Russian oil,” Argyru emphasized.

Unlike the United States and the European Union, which are already taking measures to combat this scheme, Australia still allows such supplies. The EU, for example, plans to completely ban imports of petroleum products made in third countries from Russian oil from January 2026.

The OAU is demanding that the Australian government not only ban imports of such fuels, but also introduce mandatory supply chain disclosure for all petroleum products and impose stiff fines for violators. The organization has also called on major importers such as BP, ExxonMobil and Ampol to ensure transparency and abandon fuels containing Russian raw materials.

The appeal comes after the US imposed a 25% tariff on India for the resale of petroleum products made from Russian oil. It is in addition to the previous 25% tariff previously announced by US President Donald Trump on a number of Indian goods.

Recall, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant stated that “India is simply profiting” from “Indian arbitrage” by buying cheap Russian oil and reselling it as a finished product.