'India isn't the Dutch East Indies': Russian envoy blasts NATO's sanctions warning over energy trade

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov has hit out at NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for his remarks threatening India with "100 per cent secondary sanctions" over its energy trade with Moscow, calling it a case of "glaring hypocrisy" that reveals "the West's fundamental double standards."

Alipov said Rutte's comments had "jolted" Indian public opinion and raised serious concerns about NATO's overreach. "Why is the head of a transatlantic military alliance threatening India with American economic sanctions? Is he acting within his remit or exceeding his authority?" Alipov asked in an opinion piece in The Economic Times, highlighting what he called an "outdated colonial mindset and sense of entitlement" in NATO's global posture.

"Glaring hypocrisy exposes the West's fundamental double standards. Western powers do not want to deprive themselves of the benefits of trade with Russia, yet insist others do exactly that for NATO's objective of defeating Russia — whatever the cost, especially if non-NATO countries bear the burden, whether they want to or not," Alipov wrote.

Rutte recently reportedly warned India of economic consequences if it continued importing Russian oil. Alipov noted that while the West calls for isolating Russia, it continues to engage in energy trade with Moscow. "What is striking is that even while sanctioning India today — and threatening even more severe measures tomorrow — Western countries themselves continue to buy Russian oil and oil products," he said.

Alipov defended India-Russia energy ties as both legitimate and beneficial. "Russia has thriving bilateral trade with India. In fact, it is India's fourth-largest trade partner. Russian oil constitutes a significant share of this trade. That crude is refined in India for both domestic consumption and export. This mutually beneficial relationship supports India's energy security, sustains well-paying jobs, and bolsters the country's balance of payments through export revenues," he wrote.

The Russian ambassador also criticised the European Union's recent sanctions on Nayara Energy, a major Indian refiner, as part of its 18th Russia sanctions package. "Rutte appears determined to undermine this arrangement in pursuit of an illusory victory in NATO’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine,” he stated.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has pushed back against the rhetoric. Responding to both the EU sanctions and Rutte's comments, the MEA said India “does not subscribe to any unilateral sanction measures,” and reiterated that only the UN Security Council has the authority to impose international sanctions.

Taking aim at Rutte’s leadership of NATO, Alipov wrote: "Instead of reviewing NATO's egregious policies that have provoked the raging conflict in Europe, he has expanded the alliance's pressure campaign far beyond its geographical purview."

He concluded that NATO's present approach is unsustainable: "The same way NATO has acted in Europe — by infringing on Russia’s legitimate security concerns — it now seeks to extend its reach elsewhere. It must be said loud and clear: victory over Russia cannot be achieved by default, and there can be no security in Europe at Russia’s expense."