SINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Russian oil is expected to come to Asia and the Middle East, while refined fuel produced in these regions will flow to the West as the global oil trade is disrupted by sanctions, Vitol's Chief Executive Officer Russell Hardy said on Monday.
The Russia-Ukraine war has made energy security the top issues for governments as they grapple with inflation, and with bans on Russian oil looming and Moscow slashing gas supplies to Europe, policymakers are setting aside sustainability concerns for now.
The EU is set to ban Russian crude oil from December in a move to strip the Kremlin of revenue, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian crude oil imports into the EU and UK last fell to 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in August from 2.6 million bpd in January, according to data from the IEA, though the EU was still the biggest market for Russian crude.
Global gas prices rose to record levels this year, as Russia cut supplies to Europe while oil prices touched multi-year highs in March.