<h1>State-owned oil and private steel JV halts Russian crude purchases after new US, EU and UK restrictions</h1> A joint venture between a state-owned oil firm and a private steel conglomerate announced it will suspend further purchases of Russian crude following newly imposed US, EU and UK restrictions, while noting prior imports were delivered on a supplier-arranged basis and arriving vessels were not subject to sanctions. The company said all transactions have undergone KYC, sanctions screening, vessel-history checks and port-clearance procedures, and asserted compliance with government policy and energy-security objectives. It cautioned it may lack visibility over other vessels that transported crude before delivery at port.