Sri Lankan President petitions Putin for oil supplies - report

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sent an appeal to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin asking for cooperation on oil supplies, the Lanka-based Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a source close to Rajapaksa's office.

According to the newspaper, the two leaders are going to hold a telephone conversation in the coming days to discuss a possible visit of the Sri Lankan president to Moscow.

The republic, amid its worst economic crisis since independence, is facing a severe fuel shortage. Its reserves on the island have practically run out. Because of this, public sector workers have been started to work remotely. There is no gasoline for school buses either, so classes in public and private educational institutions are held online. Until July 10, the authorities will issue gasoline and diesel fuel only to drivers who work in essential services.