Top energy expert: 'EU sanctions, US tariffs are not about oil. They want market access'
It seems that there is more to the story than Russian imports, the enery expert said
- Sep 17, 2025,
- Updated Sep 17, 2025 8:02 PM IST
Energy expert Anas Alhajji on Wednesday said recent EU sanctions and US tariffs targeting India were not about Russian oil imports, but about gaining access to the world's largest market.
"I emphasized in recent weeks that EU sanctions and US tariffs on India are unrelated to Russian oil imports. The objectives are now clearer: for one, they seek access to the world's largest market. Historically, European powers colonized countries for raw materials and markets for their final products. Same goal, different methods! EU eyes deeper India partnership despite concerns over Moscow ties," Alhajji wrote on X.
His comments came on the same day the European Commission unveiled a blueprint to expand cooperation with India across trade, defence, technology, and climate policy, despite tensions over New Delhi’s relationship with Moscow.
The EU and India are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement that both sides hope to conclude by the end of the year, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Negotiations were relaunched in 2022 and have picked up pace since the re-election of US President Donald Trump, who has urged G7 and EU states to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Indian and Chinese goods over their Russian oil purchases.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted that India's ties with Russia created "clear areas of disagreement," but said Europe did not want to leave New Delhi isolated. "The question is whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else or we try to fill it ourselves," she said.
The Commission's strategy document described India as a future pillar of the global economy, projected to be the world's third-largest by 2030. It laid out areas for potential collaboration, including investment protection, boosting air transport, securing supply chains, green hydrogen, decarbonisation of heavy industry, and joint research and innovation.
The EU is also weighing a defence and security partnership with India, similar to arrangements it has with Japan and South Korea, and plans joint projects in Africa and South Asia.
Alhajji has consistently challenged US claims that India is "profiteering" from discounted Russian crude. Speaking to CNBC earlier this month, he said, "It seems that there is more to the story than Russian imports. Because the EU imports a significant amount of natural gas and LNG from Russia. No one said anything. Turkey imports significant amount of oil from Russia, and Turkish exports of petroleum products to Europe are higher than that of India."
Countering US trade adviser Peter Navarro's charge that Indian refiners were making "blood money" from Russian oil, Alhajji said export volumes had not significantly changed. "If you look at Indian petroleum export before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and now — it’s virtually the same. So the idea that they are importing to export is not correct," he said.
He described the changes as a rerouting of supply chains. "India was exporting those petroleum products to Asia. And they diverted that to Europe because Europe or the EU sanctioned itself from importing Russian petroleum products. So India basically is compensating for that, while the Asian market is supplied by the new refineries in the Middle East in Kuwait, UAE, and Oman."
Energy expert Anas Alhajji on Wednesday said recent EU sanctions and US tariffs targeting India were not about Russian oil imports, but about gaining access to the world's largest market.
"I emphasized in recent weeks that EU sanctions and US tariffs on India are unrelated to Russian oil imports. The objectives are now clearer: for one, they seek access to the world's largest market. Historically, European powers colonized countries for raw materials and markets for their final products. Same goal, different methods! EU eyes deeper India partnership despite concerns over Moscow ties," Alhajji wrote on X.
His comments came on the same day the European Commission unveiled a blueprint to expand cooperation with India across trade, defence, technology, and climate policy, despite tensions over New Delhi’s relationship with Moscow.
The EU and India are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement that both sides hope to conclude by the end of the year, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Negotiations were relaunched in 2022 and have picked up pace since the re-election of US President Donald Trump, who has urged G7 and EU states to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Indian and Chinese goods over their Russian oil purchases.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted that India's ties with Russia created "clear areas of disagreement," but said Europe did not want to leave New Delhi isolated. "The question is whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else or we try to fill it ourselves," she said.
The Commission's strategy document described India as a future pillar of the global economy, projected to be the world's third-largest by 2030. It laid out areas for potential collaboration, including investment protection, boosting air transport, securing supply chains, green hydrogen, decarbonisation of heavy industry, and joint research and innovation.
The EU is also weighing a defence and security partnership with India, similar to arrangements it has with Japan and South Korea, and plans joint projects in Africa and South Asia.
Alhajji has consistently challenged US claims that India is "profiteering" from discounted Russian crude. Speaking to CNBC earlier this month, he said, "It seems that there is more to the story than Russian imports. Because the EU imports a significant amount of natural gas and LNG from Russia. No one said anything. Turkey imports significant amount of oil from Russia, and Turkish exports of petroleum products to Europe are higher than that of India."
Countering US trade adviser Peter Navarro's charge that Indian refiners were making "blood money" from Russian oil, Alhajji said export volumes had not significantly changed. "If you look at Indian petroleum export before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and now — it’s virtually the same. So the idea that they are importing to export is not correct," he said.
He described the changes as a rerouting of supply chains. "India was exporting those petroleum products to Asia. And they diverted that to Europe because Europe or the EU sanctioned itself from importing Russian petroleum products. So India basically is compensating for that, while the Asian market is supplied by the new refineries in the Middle East in Kuwait, UAE, and Oman."