India’s Monthly Russian Oil Purchase Less Than What Europe Buys In 1 Afternoon: EAM
On the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Minister said that India has made several statements that clarify its position on the conflict
Mumbai: Amid criticism of India’s purchase of oil from Russia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India’s total monthly purchase of oil from Russia is probably less than what Europe does in an afternoon.
Responding to a question about India’s imports of Russian oil, Jaishankar said, “If you are looking at (India’s) energy purchases from Russia, I suggest your focus should be on Europe. We buy some energy necessary for our energy security. But I suspect, looking at figures, our purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon.”
On the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Minister said that India has made several statements that clarify its position on the conflict.
“That position, in a nutshell, is that we are against conflict, we are for dialogue and diplomacy, we are for an immediate end to violence and we are ready to contribute in any way we can for these purposes.”
Meanwhile, the United States on Monday said there is no ban on energy imports from Russia and that New Delhi is not violating US sanctions.
This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden, in which the two leaders exchanged views on a range of regional and global issues.
Following Western sanctions on Russian entities in the wake of the Ukraine war, India bought at least 13 million barrels of Russian crude at a discounted rate. This marked a sharp increase compared to last year when India imported around 16 million barrels in 2021.
India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer and importer, imports 80 per cent of its oil, but only 2 per cent to 3 per cent of that comes from Russia.
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