Sri Lanka may be forced to buy more oil from Russia, according to the newly appointed prime minister, as the island nation searches urgently for fuel under an unparalleled economic crisis.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would explore for alternative supplies first, but that he would be willing to buy more crude from Moscow if necessary. Energy shipments from Russia have been virtually cut off as a result of sanctions imposed by the West in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Wickremesinghe also hinted that, despite his country’s increasing debt, he would be open to take further financial assistance from China in a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press on Saturday. And while he acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s current predicament is of “its own making,” he said the war in Ukraine is making it even worse – and that dire food shortages could continue until 2024. He said Russia had also offered wheat to Sri Lanka.