Jaishankar says US urged India to buy Russian oil in 2022, then later penalized the trade
The Facts
- S. Jaishankar made the remarks while speaking at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland during a discussion on emerging powers and geopolitical competition.
- Jaishankar said the United States had asked India in 2022 to buy Russian oil to help stabilize the oil market.
- He said India buys oil based on cost and availability, and presented that as the basis for its Russian oil purchases.
- Jaishankar said India had not been buying Russian oil in significant volumes before 2022 and that changed market conditions after the Ukraine war led India to enter that market more heavily.
- He criticized what he described as an inconsistent US approach, saying Washington later imposed penalties or sanctions after earlier encouraging the purchases.
- Jaishankar also pushed back on European criticism by saying no European country had been attacked with Indian weapons, while weapons sold by European countries had been used against India.
- His comments were made in response to questions or criticism about whether India had been too sympathetic to Russia and too willing to buy Russian oil.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- India’s Russian oil purchases are presented as a response to cost, availability, and market disruption after the Ukraine war, and the later penalties matter because they undercut the consistency between what states are asked to do and how they are treated afterward.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: whether the main failure is the unfair burden placed on countries adapting to disrupted energy markets, or the damage inconsistent penalties do to the credibility of a rules-based order.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
Why did Jaishankar say India increased purchases of Russian oil?
He said India turned to Russian oil because it was available and cheaper, and because post-2022 market disruptions changed supply conditions for India NewsBytes,India Today,Deutsche Welle.
What was Jaishankar's criticism of the US position?
He said the US had asked India in 2022 to buy Russian oil to stabilize the market, but later penalized or sanctioned that trade, which he described as an inconsistent approach Indian Express,TimesNow,Deutsche Welle.
Why did he bring Europe into the argument?
Jaishankar used Europe to argue that Western criticism of India's Russia ties lacked consistency, saying European countries had sold weapons later used against India even as they questioned India's oil trade with Russia News18,India Today,Deutsche Welle.
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Wire services (1)
Independent coverage (50)
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