India has accepted Russia’s offer of crude oil at a discounted rate. According to White House, this is not a violation of American sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine.
“Our message to any country continues to be that abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a news conference on Tuesday.
“I don’t believe this would be violating that (sanctions). But also think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact,” Psaki added.
India has not supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has consistently asked all stakeholders to resolve differences through dialogue. It has, however, abstained in all United Nations resolutions against Russia.
US President Joe Biden last week announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports over the country's invasion of Ukraine, targeting the main artery of Russia's economy.
"Our message to any country continues to be that abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday.
Asked about a media report on the possibility that India could take up the Russian offer of discounted crude oil, Psaki said, "I don't believe this would be violating that (sanctions)."
"But also think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact," Psaki added.
The US-led West has imposed a series of financial sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
India has not supported the Russian military operation of Ukraine.
New Delhi has consistently asked all stakeholders to resolve differences through dialogue.
It has, however, abstained in all United Nations resolutions against Russia.
Officials of the Biden administration have shown an understanding of India's position and have told American lawmakers that New Delhi has a major dependence on Russian military supplies for its national security requirements amidst the challenges posed by China.
Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman Dr Ami Bera has expressed disappointment over reports that India is contemplating buying Russian oil at a steeply discounted rate.
"If reports are accurate and India makes this decision to buy Russian oil at a discounted price, New Delhi would be choosing to side with Vladimir Putin at a pivotal moment in history when countries across the world are united in support of the Ukrainian people and against Russia's deadly invasion," the Democratic Party lawmaker said.
"As the world's largest democracy and as a leader of the Quad, India has a responsibility to ensure its actions do not directly or indirectly support Putin and his invasion," Bera said in a statement.
The United States remains in touch with Indian leaders and continues to encourage them to work closely with it to stand up against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Wednesday.
"As you know, we remain in touch through a range of channels from our national security team with leaders in India and continue to encourage leaders to work closely with us to stand up against President Putin's invasion of Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.
Over the past two weeks, the Biden administration has shown an understanding of India's position on Russia given the complexity of its ties with Russia and over-dependence on Moscow for military and security needs.
During a Congressional hearing last week, Admiral John Christopher Aquilino, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, described India as tremendous partners and said that the mil to mil relationship is probably at its highest point.
"From the US perspective, I think India is an absolutely essential partner as we think about our strategy in the Indo-Pacific, and both in terms of how we're building coalition partners as well as dealing with potential adversaries.
"We recognise that India has a complicated history and relationship with Russia," Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a separate hearing.
Observing that India walks a difficult middle ground on the Ukraine crisis, two Democratic lawmakers Wednesday urged India to condemn Russian military operations against Ukraine which they said have no place in the 21st century.
In a letter to India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Congressman Ted W Lieu and Congressman Tom Malinowski said, "Though we understand India's relationship with Russia, we are disappointed with your government's decision to abstain from the UN General Assembly's March 2 vote."
They said Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine undermines the rules-based order, "and by invading Ukraine, Russia is trying to destroy a set of rules that protect India as well".
"India's historic support for the UN Charter and the principles of territorial integrity gives us hope that India will join other democracies to support Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression," the two Democratic lawmakers wrote.
They said they "deeply value" the relationship between the United States and India.
"Ät the same time, we are disappointed that India has taken this approach in response to Russia's actions."
"We understand that India walks a difficult middle ground, but Russia's actions have no place in the 21st century. Many countries who have relationships with Russia did the right thing and condemned the Russian government, they chose the right side of history and so should India," they said.
"We hope that India will move away from its current position that places blame on both sides and acknowledge that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict," Lieu and Malinowski wrote in the letter dated March 16.
The two lawmakers wrote a separate letter to Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Majeed Khan urging Islamabad to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We are disappointed with your government's decision to abstain from the UN General Assembly's March 2 vote. We are also disappointed that Prime Minister Imran Khan announced bilateral trade agreements with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine," they said.
"The Prime Minister's decision to proceed with his visit to Moscow, at a moment when the world was uniting in support of Ukraine, ran counter to the international community's efforts to reaffirm Ukraine's territorial integrity and call out Russia as the aggressor," the two lawmakers wrote.
Meanwhile, the UK wants every country to move away from using Russian oil and gas because it directly funds President Vladimir Putin's war machine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Asked about India's proposed move to purchase crude oil from Russia, the spokesperson said the UK Prime Minister respects every country's individual position but wants to broaden the coalition of countries against the Russian President's actions in Ukraine.
The Indian Parliament was informed this week of ongoing talks "at the appropriate level of the Russian Federation" over the potential purchase of crude oil.
"The Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] would want every country to move away from using Russian oil and gas," the spokesperson told PTI at a Downing Street briefing.
"It is the funding that the Putin regime receives largely through oil and gas that directly goes towards funding the Russian war machine. Everyone needs to be conscious of that," the spokesperson said.
"We understand the position for individual countries is different, each country is in a different position and we respect that. But certainly, the Prime Minister wants to broaden the coalition of countries even further, so that everyone is united not just in condemnation but in action [against Putin]," the spokesperson added.
It comes as Johnson is holding talks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE on a visit to the region, with a declared mission to build an international coalition against Russia and wean off dependence on its oil and gas exports in protest against the conflict with Ukraine.
He has said that countries needed to "avoid being blackmailed" by Putin by weaning off Russia's fossil fuels and exploring other partnerships.
"The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face. The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin's addiction to oil and gas. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort," he said, ahead of his visit to the Middle East.
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday that India taking up Russia's offer of discounted crude oil would not be a violation of American sanctions on Moscow.
At the same time, she also underlined that countries should also think about "where you want to stand" amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about reports on the possibility that India could take up the Russian offer of discounted crude oil, Psaki said, "I don't believe this would be violating that (sanctions)."
"But also think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact," Psaki added.
On Tuesday, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament that discussions are "currently underway" on how much oil may be available from Russia.
The West has imposed tough sanctions on Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict last month, including its exclusion from the SWIFT banking network, a measure aimed at hitting Russian oil and gas exports hard.
In a statement last week that indicated Russia turning towards India in the face of western sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia's oil and petroleum product exports to India have approached USD 1 billion and there are "clear opportunities to increase this figure".
(With PTI Inputs)