The United States has said that it is comfortable with the approach India has taken in buying oil from Russia and is not looking to sanction New Delhi.
US assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried said Wednesday that the "relationship with India is the most consequential relationship." She said during a telephone conference with ANI on India purchasing oil from Russia for discounted prices since the war began in Ukraine.
According to reports, India bought a record amount of Russian oil last month, a whopping 33 times more than a year earlier.
However, Donfried said, "By end of the decade, Russia’s oil and gas will decline by 50 per cent. We do not believe that sanction policy to have universal hearings. We are comfortable with the approach India has taken. We are already seeing results in the budget deficit that Russia has reported."
She also echoed Washington's appreciation of Modi's statement to Putin. "We welcome PM Modi’s assertion that today’s era is not of war and his comments at the Nov 2022 G20 Summit in Bali calling for dialogue & diplomacy. India’s leadership role right now in G20 is commendable," Donfried was quoted by ANI.
She said the US welcomed India’s support to Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance.
Energy security agenda
According to US assistant secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt, the energy security agenda that India and US were pursuing together is particularly important in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions to disrupt global energy markets.
"By weaponizing Russia’s oil and gas resources, Russia has demonstrated that it will never again be a reliable energy supplier. It also caused a short spike in global oil and gas prices which continue to ripple around the world," he added.
He added that though India hasn't participated in the price cap, it has "effectively used its negotiating leverage which it derives from the price cap."
Responding to a media query regarding Russia being the single largest supplier to India, Pyatt said, "US crude production continues to grow to reach a new record in 2024. The important role of US LNG and minister Hardeep Puri said in Bangalore that we have shared resources and minimized role in carbon footprint, India was one of the top ten markets for US LNG."
