'We're very perplexed': S Jaishankar questions US tariffs on India for Russian oil imports

 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday said that the US tariffs on India for continued Russian oil imports are a bit perplexing, especially when India is not the largest purchaser of Russian oil. 

Speaking at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Jaishankar said that China and the European Union were the largest buyers of Russian oil and LNG. He added that India has also increased its oil imports from the US. 

"We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries to the South. We are a country where the Americans have said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia. Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you (the media) had referred to,” Jaishankar said. 

Broadening the conversation, Jaishankar underlined that India and Russia have been “the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War.” Lavrov echoed him, calling the partnership “special” and guided by their leaders.

Jaishankar, who met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov before talks with Lavrov, said the visit was an opportunity to review ties. “I look forward to an exchange of views on politics, on trade, on economics, investment, defence, science and technology, and of course people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

He pointed to recent high-level engagements, from last year’s 22nd Annual Summit and discussions in Kazan to visits by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. “All these showed how deep our relationship is,” he said, adding preparations were on for the next summit later this year.

Looking at the wider world, Jaishankar said it was important for both countries to adapt to “the evolving geopolitical situation, the shifting economic and trade landscape, and our shared goal to maximize our complementarity.”

Welcoming him, Lavrov said: “We define our relations as a special strategic partnership, and this was defined by our leaders, and I hope that we fully justify these links.” 

He also placed the ties in a “multipolar system of international relations with an increasing role played by the SCO, BRICS and the G20. And, of course, the United Nations, which remains a platform for cooperation, compromise and seeking agreement.”

The Russian minister said Moscow supported “balanced approaches” and hoped the talks with Jaishankar would be productive.

 

 

Mehak Agarwal

Senior Sub-Editor 

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