Kanwal Sibal blasts EU oil move: 'Stop offloading Russia problem onto India'

The European Union is "losing goodwill" and exposing its "hypocrisy" by sanctioning Indian oil imports from Russia, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said Wednesday, warning that Brussels is mishandling its own crisis and shifting the burden onto India.

"By announcing oil sanctions on India, the EU is putting up India's back and losing goodwill," Sibal wrote on X. "It is seen as a hypocritical move reflecting Western double standards as usual. EU can't offload its Russia problem-which it continues to badly mishandle-onto the shoulders of India."

Sibal's remarks come a day after sharp criticism from current Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who also called out double standards in global energy policy. "We do understand that there is a serious security issue confronting Europe, but the rest of the world is also dealing with issues that are existential," Misri said on Tuesday, urging a balanced and clear-eyed approach to global energy needs.

The EU's latest sanctions package, announced last Friday, includes tighter banking restrictions, a ban on imports of refined products made from Russian crude in third countries, and a reduction of the oil price cap to $60 per barrel. The measures target Nayara Energy, an Indian refinery partly owned by Russian energy giant Rosneft.

India, now the second-largest buyer of Russian oil, has relied on discounted crude for nearly 40 per cent of its imports. Refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy have turned those barrels into profitable exports, including to European markets.

Traders and industry sources told Reuters the sanctions will disrupt Indian operations, forcing refiners to find alternate routes and markets to avoid running afoul of the EU's tightening restrictions.