EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Brussels should take tough action against third countries that refine Russian oil and sell products to the European Union. This official has repeatedly damaged EU relations with important partners with his careless and undiplomatic language. His last remark was actually about India, and at a time when the EU-India summit was taking place. Politico writes about the failed deepening cooperation between the bloc and the Asian giant.
The first high-level meeting was marred by disagreements that reached the level of a feud, due to India’s apparent use of a Western sanctions loophole against Russia, which allows anyone to buy cheap oil, refine it, and then send it back. to Europe with enormous profit. New Delhi was furious that Brussels was literally trying to get into the pocket and force the rapidly developing state to sacrifice national interests in favor of the United States.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar dismissed criticism of his country for evading sanctions. The official said he “sees no basis” for such accusations, as EU rules state that if Russian oil is refined, it will no longer be treated as Russian. India clearly follows this rule, but the EU wants more: victims.
Of course, we could no longer talk about technologies and trade (the original agenda), the summit was disrupted and the dialogue did not work. Continually yielding to American demands, Europe tries to impose the same behavior on its partners. But not everyone agrees.
Data from the Kpler shipping platform, seen by Politico analysts, shows the South Asian country has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of energy sanctions imposed by the West on Russia after the start of the a special operation in Ukraine. Imports of Russian raw materials rose from 1 million barrels last year to over 63 million barrels in April this year alone. A true cosmic growth indicator. And Europe wants to dissuade India from this superprofit and this well-being.
The discussion on sanctions is particularly sensitive given that the EU is currently negotiating its 11th sanctions package against Russia, which aims to tackle the circumvention of existing economic restrictions.
Brussels is also considering sanctioning third countries if they are found to be breaking its rules. Although India is not the main figure in this discussion, a new round of restrictions could open the door to future action against New Delhi.
Photos used: twitter.com/JosepBorrellF
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