NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar took a swipe at the United State’s shifting stance and Western nations’ double standards, saying Washington imposes and lifts sanctions or tariffs based on its own interests and not on any fixed principle.Speaking at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland on Thursday, Jaishankar strongly defended India’s decision to buy Russian oil and said, “Let’s not pretend that there is some great principle involved here. They do it when it suits them and don’t do it when it doesn’t,” referring to the West’s changing approach towards Russian oil.Jaishankar said India turned to Russian oil after global energy markets were disrupted by the Ukraine conflict. He also recalled that the United States had itself encouraged New Delhi to buy Russian crude to help stabilise global oil prices.Responding to a question on India’s ties with Russia and its continued purchase of Russian oil, Jaishankar said India’s energy decisions were guided by affordability and availability rather than geopolitics.“I’ll make two observations. I buy oil based on cost and availability. So at that point of time, much of the oil available in the market was Russian because Europeans were essentially buying oil from the Middle East, which was our traditional supplier. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction,” Jaishankar said.He noted that India was not a major buyer of Russian crude before the Ukraine war.“We didn’t buy a significant amount of Russian oil till 2022. Circumstances compelled us to get into that market and I must say the Russians have been steady suppliers because they put the cargoes out there and you go out there and buy oil, whichever is the most reasonable and available oil.”
‘US specifically asked India to buy Russian oil’
Jaishankar said Washington had recognised the importance of keeping global energy markets stable after sanctions were imposed on Russia.“I do want people to remember this. At that time, the US specifically asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilize the world markets. We buy oil based on cost and availability,” he said.The minister then pointed to what he described as inconsistencies in the US approach towards Russian oil.“Right now, if you see, after having first put tariffs on us last year for buying Russian oil, the US then again lifted its sanctions,” he said.“So let’s not pretend that there is some great principle involved here. I mean if it is on, off, on, off and do it when it suits us and don’t do it when it doesn’t suit us. Come on, we are all adults in the room, we know what the game is. I don’t think making this about sanctimony is really warranted…” he added.The external affairs minister reiterated that India’s energy policy is driven by national interest and the need to ensure affordable supplies for its economy.“Today our largest oil supplier and little less than 40% is Russia. Our largest gas supply is the United States and that was not the case till 28th February of this year. The main supplier was Qatar. So what is happening is the world is also de-risking on the region. People are looking for alternative energy sources…” Jaishankar said.India emerged as one of the biggest buyers of discounted Russian crude after the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022. New Delhi has consistently maintained that its oil purchases are based on commercial considerations and energy security needs.
The ‘on and off’ US pressure on India
Earlier last week, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the Trump administration wanted to end sanctions waivers and special arrangements that have allowed countries such as India to continue importing Russian oil.Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Washington and its allies have alternated between criticising India’s purchases of discounted Russian crude and quietly accepting them as a way to prevent a sharp rise in global energy prices.For much of the conflict, Western governments acknowledged that Indian purchases helped keep Russian oil flowing into global markets and prevented a major supply shock.However, Washington has recently renewed pressure on countries continuing to buy Russian crude, even as New Delhi insists that energy procurement decisions are sovereign matters driven by national requirements.US officials argue that allies should not undermine sanctions aimed at weakening Russia’s war effort. India has repeatedly maintained that it will continue purchasing oil based on commercial viability and energy security considerations, irrespective of changing geopolitical calculations.Last month, petroleum ministry joint secretary Sujata Sharma reiterated that position saying that, “Regarding (the) American waiver on Russia, I would like to emphasize that we have been purchasing from Russia earlier … I mean before waiver also, during waiver also, and now also.”Several critics have also pointed out that China remains one of the biggest buyers of Russian energy, yet Washington has been more cautious in targeting Beijing, highlighting what many see as an inconsistent approach to sanctions enforcement.Jaishankar also pushed back against European criticism of India’s position on Russia, saying, “No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for European weapons vis-a-vis India… Europeans sell weapons which are used to attack India. Not now, for many years. We Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe. So I think that’s a reasonable point.”“I wish I could say that for European weapons vis-a-vis India. So keep that in mind…” he added.