King Abdullah says Jordan is seeking to contain economic damage from Russia-Ukraine war

Monarch says kingdom's wheat stocks at 'safe' levels

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during his visit to the Eastern Military Zone in February. RHC

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Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday said the country would work with its Arab neighbours to contain the economic effects of the war in Ukraine.

It was the king's first public reaction on the war, which has driven global energy prices up sharply and affected countries relying on Ukrainian wheat.

Jordan imported 10 per cent of its wheat from Ukraine last year. The rest was mostly from Romania.

King Abdullah told the official news agency that wheat stocks in Jordan were "safe and work is ongoing to increase them".

"It is important to come out with minimum losses on the Jordanian economy from the events in Ukraine, especially regarding energy prices, and in co-ordination with the Arab brethren," he said.

Jordan imports about 130,000 barrels a day of crude oil, mostly from Saudi Arabia, and relies on Egypt and Israel for its natural gas needs.

Bulk traders in Jordan have reported shortages in cooking oil in the past few days, with significant volumes normally obtained from Ukraine.

Jordan did not initially condemn the Russian assault on Ukraine, which began on February 24.

But on Wednesday, Jordan was among the 141 countries of the 193-member UN General Assembly to vote for a resolution that condemned the attack and demanded the withdrawal of the Russian forces.