India has no moral conflict in buying oil from Russia. In an interview with the CNN journalist Becky Anderson, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gases, Hardeep Singh Puri said that there is no “moral conflict in buying Russian oil.”
Substantiating his position Puri said that India only buys 0.2% of Russian oil. In comparison to the consumption of the Europe and the US, this is seemingly nothing.
Making his position further clear, Puri said, “Let me first try and correct your perspective. We ended the financial year March 31, 2022 and the purchases of Russian oil was 0.2 percent and not 2 percent. We only brought a quarter of oil of what Europe buys in one afternoon.”
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He also noted down that last month the highest supplier of oil to India was Iraq not Russia. As the US and the EU have imposed some sanctions on Russia due to its war in Ukraine, it is diplomatically expected out of India to toe the line of its allies.
Responding to whether India has any ‘qualms’ about using oil from Russia, a country that has been allegedly engaged in an imperial war against Ukraine, Puri said, “We have a moral duty towards our consumers and we to ensure that they are supplied with petrol, diesel. There is no moral conflict in buying Russian oil. We don't buy from X or Y, we buy whatever is available. I don't do the buying, it's the oil companies who do the buying.”
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What will be India’s stance if further sanctions are imposed?
The question as definitely leads towards further sanctions on Russia by the US and the EU, Puri said that the Modi government is into healthy discussions with both the parties and have backup plans for such situations.
“We have many backup plans. We have healthy discussions going on with the US and Europe. Modi government doesn’t feel the pressure. When you have an increase in oil prices, they have consequences - one of it is - there will be inflation and recession, another is we will make the transition in green energy,” the minister added.
Existing regime of gas and oil sanction on Russia
In the latest sanction in September, the EU said it is planning to stop import of Russian oil by December.
The US which have already stopped the import of Russian gas and oil. The UK is set to phase out the oil import by end of this year. The UK has nevertheless stopped importing gas.
However, EU have already stopped buying Russian coal and will stop the import of refined oil products from February, 2023. Notably, the EU couldn’t place a sanction on Russian gas because 40% of its requirement comes from it.
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India not stopped by anyone to buy oil from Russia
Earlier, Puri clearly said that India has not been asked by anybody to stop import of oil from Russia. Pointing out that such discussions can’t be taken to the public, Puri added that India will have to buy oil from wherever it can.
As per the reports of ANI, Puri said, “India will buy oil from wherever it has to for the simple reason that this kind of discussion can't be taken to consuming population of India...Have I been told by anyone to stop buying Russian oil? The answer is a categorical 'no'.”
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He also added that India has a moral duty to provide energy to the people as required.
Post the US and EU sanctions on Russia, Modi government had been requested to not accelerate its import of energy resources from the country.
However, union minister of external affairs EAM S Jaishankar while speaking to the then UK premiere Liz Truss said that Europe had consumed 15% more oil and gas from Russia in March than in February.
