Roving Periscope: The US rejects Ukraine’s plea, says no sanctions against India
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Apparently rejecting a recent plea from embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to clamp sanctions on India for buying discounted Russian oil, the US has said it is not looking to sanction New Delhi, adding its ties with India are “most consequential.”
Two weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war (February 24), the US said it is “comfortable with the approach India has taken in buying oil from Russia and is not looking to sanction New Delhi,” the media reported on Thursday
The “relationship with India is the most consequential relationship,” US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried said on Wednesday during a telephone conference with a news agency on India purchasing oil from Russia for discounted prices since the war began in Ukraine.
Reports said India bought a whopping 33 times more Russian oil this year compared to that of the last year.
Donfried also welcomed India’s support for the people of Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance and a call by India for an immediate end to Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
On India buying oil from Russia, a US official 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.”
Donfried said, “We welcome PM Modi’s assertion that today’s era is not of war and his comments at the November 2022 G20 Summit in Bali calling for dialogue and diplomacy. India’s leadership role right now in G20 is commendable.”
US Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt said the energy security agenda that India and US are pursuing together is particularly important in light of what Russian President Vladimir Putin has done over the past year to disrupt global energy markets.
“By weaponizing its 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 said.
Pyatt said even though India is not a participant in the price caps, it has effectively used its negotiating leverage which it derives from the price cap and the fact that large portions of the global market are no longer accessible to Russia, to drive down the price of Russian crude.
Asked about Russia being the single largest crude supplier to India, he said, “the US’ crude production continues to grow to reach a new record in 2024.” The important role of US LNG, and Indian minister Hardeep Puri’s assertion in Bangalore that the two nations shared resources and minimized their role in carbon footprint, shows India was one of the top ten markets for US LNG.
Donfried said Ukraine did not provoke this war. Russian President Putin expected a quick victory but underestimated the Ukrainian people. This war is unjustified and illegal.
She said the US put sanctions on Russia to target Putin to stop the war. It is, however, clear that Putin is not interested in diplomacy.
“Russia alone can end this war today. My boss, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said that if Russia stopped fighting, the war will end but if Ukraine stops fighting then Ukraine itself will end. If Putin wins it would mean defeat for Ukraine and for all of us. I continue to be inspired by the people of Ukraine,” Donfried said.
