New Delhi: Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that her country will continue to buy cheap oil from Russia at discounted prices.
She added in televised statements: “We have started buying, we have received quite a number of barrels — I would think three-four days supply and this will continue”
Sitharaman recalled the position of Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishkankar, who stressed that “India’s interest and energy security should be at the forefront of any considerations.”
And she continued, “If fuel is available and at discounts, why don’t we buy it? We need it for our people, so we started buying.”
Sitharaman’s comments came a day after Dalip Singh, the US deputy national security adviser for international economics, warned New Delhi against “accelerating” trade deals with Russia, this is reported by The Economic Times (India) .
“What we don’t want to see is an increase in the speed of India’s imports from Russia in terms of energy or any other exports that are currently prohibited by the United States or other aspects of the international sanctions regime,” Singh told reporters in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Washington warned New Delhi against colluding with Russia to circumvent international sanctions.
In this context, press reports pointed out that Russia is offering big discounts on oil purchases to India, following international sanctions that were imposed on its oil exports in protest against the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
In turn, US President Joe Biden criticized New Delhi’s stance on the Russian war in Ukraine, and its continued economic cooperation with Moscow, despite its recent close rapprochement with the United States, Reuters reported.
