Key facts
- India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated the US asked India to continue buying Russian oil in 2022.
- Jaishankar defended India's oil purchases from Russia, citing market realities like availability and affordability.
- He noted that European nations' increased demand for Middle Eastern oil disrupted India's traditional supply sources.
- Jaishankar rejected the notion that India's oil imports from Russia posed ethical concerns.
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar revealed that the United States had specifically requested India continue purchasing Russian oil in 2022 to help stabilize global energy markets. Speaking at an event in Finland, Jaishankar defended India's decision to source oil from Russia following the Ukraine war, emphasizing that the move was dictated by market realities rather than political considerations.
Jaishankar explained that India began buying significant volumes of Russian crude because it was available and affordable at a time when traditional suppliers were being heavily purchased by European countries. He stated, "At that point of time, much of the oil available in the market was from Russia because Europeans were buying up the Middle East oil, which was our traditional supplier." He further rejected any ethical concerns surrounding India's purchases, stating, "Let’s not pretend there’s some great principle involved here. I don’t think making this about sanctimony is really warranted."