Taiwan has become the world’s largest importer of Russian naphtha—a petroleum derivative essential for chemicals used in the semiconductor industry—despite its participation in sanctions against Moscow and its support for Ukraine.
According to a report cited by The Guardian on October 1, in the first half of 2025 Taiwan purchased $1.3 billion worth of Russian naphtha, with monthly imports averaging nearly six times the 2022 level. Compared to the same period in 2024, imports rose by 44%.
At the same time, Taiwan has consistently expressed solidarity with Ukraine. On September 28, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, signed an agreement in Poland to provide aid to Ukrainian children affected by Russia’s invasion, The Guardian reported.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale war in 2022, Taiwan joined international sanctions and imposed export controls to prevent its advanced technologies from being used by the Russian military. Yet Moscow continues to fund its aggression with energy exports—billions of dollars of which now come from Taiwan.
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Since February 2022, Taiwan has imported 6.8 million tonnes of Russian naphtha valued at $4.9 billion, accounting for about 20% of Russia’s total exports of the product. US President Donald Trump has urged all countries to stop buying Russian oil.
According to The Guardian, the data comes from a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Finnish think tank, in collaboration with European, Russian, and Taiwanese NGOs.
Naphtha, a crude oil derivative, is indispensable for semiconductor production—a pillar of Taiwan’s economy and a vital component of global supply chains. Despite sanction commitments, Taiwan has not banned Russian fossil fuel imports, citing its extreme reliance on energy imports, which make up around 97% of its consumption.
Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council noted that both Moscow and Beijing aim to absorb Ukraine and Taiwan, respectively, but are pursuing different strategies on different timelines. He explained that Russia’s invasion was a desperate attempt to block Ukraine’s western integration, while China is taking a more patient approach, believing that time works in its favor, according to The Guardian.
Observers frequently compare Russia’s designs on Ukraine with China’s ambitions for Taiwan. The war in Ukraine has heightened Taiwanese interest in civil defense training amid concerns that Beijing’s support for Russia could one day be reciprocated by Moscow in the event of a crisis over Taiwan.
However, some analysts cautioned against overstating the geopolitical implications.
“This looks like opportunism by Taiwan’s petrochemical industry,” John Lough, head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre said as reported by The Guardian. He added that although Taiwanese money does flow into Kremlin coffers, “it’s a stretch to think that [Russia] will be willing or able to provide military support to China in the event of increased Chinese pressure on Taiwan.”
Hsin Hsuan Sun, director at the Environmental Rights Foundation and co-author of the report, also warned that dependence on Russian fossil fuels poses political risks. “Taiwan cannot afford to ignore the risks created by its growing dependence on Russian fossil fuel,” she said, according to The Guardian. This reliance, she added, “undermines Taiwan’s credibility with democratic allies.”
Earlier, Ukrainian drones dealt a major blow to Russia’s energy sector, disabling nearly 40% of its oil refining capacity and plunging Moscow into its most severe fuel crisis in decades.
According to The Moscow Times, strikes on Russian refineries have led to an unprecedented series of shutdowns, leaving the country facing a nationwide fuel shortage.
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