Govt's pushback on US threats deserves support
The US has unfairly ratcheted up its anti-India tirade in recent days. It is thus welcome that there has been a measured and timely response from the Indian government. Writing on his communication platform Truth Social, Donald Trump has threatened to impose severe penalties on Indian exports—even above the 25 percent levy imposed earlier—for continuing to buy Russian oil. He has also accused India of reselling oil and making ‘big profits’ without a thought for those being killed in Ukraine. Another key Trump advisor, Stephen Miller, accused India of “financing” Russia’s Ukraine war. The rebuttal on Monday by the Ministry of External Affairs makes two things clear. First, it is India’s sovereign right to secure its own energy needs in the most cost effective way; second, the US and Europe’s criticism is two-faced, as they have been regular purchasers of Russian fuel.
India’s rejoinder points out that the EU’s trade with Russia in 2024 was higher than India’s. For its heating needs alone, Europe imported a record 16.5 tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Russia. Moreover, the West’s ban on Russian oil has been selective. While the sea route has been blocked, Russian crude continues to flow via the Druzhba pipeline to central European countries including Hungary and the Czech Republic. Ember, an energy think tank, estimates European purchases of Russian gas amounted to $23.6 billion last year. This was more than the $20.17 billion it spent on financial aid to Ukraine.
India has also been a victim of ever-changing politics of convenience practiced by the US. In the early days of the Ukraine war, the Biden administration tacitly allowed India to import Russian crude to ensure global prices did not plummet because of lack of demand. Later, when the US faced a shortage of lubricants, it winked at India sending partly-refined Russian oil to the US to process into oil-based lubricants. While steering to balance US demands and the energy needs of our country, the government must never give up its rights to choose what best serves our people. India and Jawaharlal Nehru were the founders of the non-aligned movement, carving out a space for newly-independent countries in the early postcolonial era. This, again, is another moment not to bow to new forms of big-power bullying.