LONDON (CNBC) - Shell has defended its decision to purchase Russian crude oil despite the current crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
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”.
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, Kuleba called on businesses to continue to apply pressure to Russia.
A spokesperson for Shell said, however, that the company is trying to maintain supplies of fuels and in this case it had no alternative crude supplies which would reach Europe in time.
In a statement, the firm said it remains “appalled by the war in Ukraine” and that it has stopped most activities involving Russian oil, but added that the situation with supplies is “highly complex”.
Russian oil currently makes up about 8% of work supply.