EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Southeast Asian nations to diversify their oil supply away from Russia, citing the impact of the Strait of Hormuz blockade on regional energy security. The move comes as the region grapples with supply disruptions that have forced countries to seek alternative sources, including Russian crude. After the blockade cut off most of their regular crude and fuel supply from the Middle East, Southeast Asian economies such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam were the first to feel fuel shortages. The Philippines, which sourced 98% of its oil from the Middle East before the war, declared a national energy emergency in March. Many turned to alternative suppliers, including Russian oil, which is now allowed for unsanctioned sale by the U.S. Treasury until May 16 under a waiver extended by the Trump Administration. In the Philippines, Petron secured almost 2.5 million barrels of Russian crude out of "extreme necessity." The company said the procurement was not part of its business-as-usual sourcing strategy and was undertaken strictly as an extraordinary emergency measure after exhausting all commercially and operationally viable alternatives. Indonesia announced plans to import 150 million barrels of crude from Russia this year to offset the loss of Middle Eastern supply, while Malaysia and Vietnam also seek Russian oil as the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for more than eight weeks. Kaja Kallas said that "there is an energy crisis right now in the world. And unfortunately, this energy crisis is benefiting Russia." She added that higher revenues for Russia from oil sales mean more funds for the Kremlin to continue its war in Ukraine, and that the EU wants wars to end and peace to restore normal supply chains. "We want wars to end. We want peace and then we do not have these kind of problems. So, that is why we are advocating for diversifying resources and finding them elsewhere, not from Russia," she explained.