External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday hit out at Washington’s criticism of India’s energy trade with Russia, saying New Delhi is “perplexed” by the logic behind the argument.
Speaking at a joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Jaishankar underscored that India is not the biggest buyer of Russian oil. “We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries to the South,” he said.
The minister pointed out that for years, the US itself had urged India to do “everything possible” to stabilise the world energy market, which included buying oil from Russia. “Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument,” Jaishankar said.
His remarks come in the backdrop of the US slapping 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 per cent levy on Indian purchases of Russian oil, effectively doubling duties. US President Donald Trump had previously pressed New Delhi to halt Russian oil imports, alleging the revenues were fuelling the Ukraine war.
India has consistently defended its energy purchases from Moscow as a decision guided by “market conditions” and national interest.