India defends Russian oil purchases amid proposed US sanctions bill

NEW DELHI: Responding to a proposed bill in the United States Congress that seeks to impose a 500 percent duty on countries continuing to purchase Russian oil, India on Friday said it remains guided by the imperative of securing “affordable energy” for its 1.4 billion people amid evolving global market dynamics.

Reacting to the proposed legislation, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Randhir Jaiswal, said that New Delhi is aware of the bill and is closely monitoring developments.

“We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments,” Jaiswal said during a weekly press briefing.

Reiterating India’s long-standing position on energy sourcing, Jaiswal underlined that New Delhi’s decisions are driven by energy security needs and market realities.

“Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known. In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy for our 1.4 billion people through diverse sources to meet the energy security needs,” the statement said.

MEA’s reponse comes days after US Senator Lindsey Graham said that US President Donald Trump has given a green light to the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill, which would give leverage against India, China, and Brazil to stop them from purchasing Russian oil and punish the countries “fuelling Putin’s war machine”. (ANI)

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