Sri Lanka, April 19 -- Malaysia is joining a growing list of countries in Southeast Asia seeking to secure oil from Russia amid an energy crunch as a result of the US-Israel conflict with Iran that is now into its eighth week.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday (Apr 18) said that national oil company Petronas is set to negotiate with Russia to purchase oil and ensure a sufficient supply for domestic use, The Star reported.

Anwar noted that many European and American countries that previously sanctioned Russia are now competing to buy its oil.

"Fortunately, our relations with Russia remain good. Therefore, the Petronas team can negotiate with them," he was quoted as saying by Malay language daily Sinar Harian.

Earlier, there have...