Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday that India feels no “moral conflict” over buying oil from Russia, although he also took pains to minimize the impact of India’s discounted Russian energy purposes.
Puri was asked by reporters if his government felt any “qualms” about buying from Russia, while many other nations are laying heavy sanctions on Moscow for its brutal invasion of Ukraine. In response, Puri said that
“There is no moral conflict involved in it as far as we are concerned,” adding that “energy has to be seen completely from the perspective of energy security.”
Shri Hardeep S Puri
'Absolutely none': Hardeep Puri when asked about 'moral conflict' on buying Russian oil https://t.co/z9sDfjeumi
— TOI India (@TOIIndiaNews) November 1, 2022
India’s Energy Security Concerns
While Puri did not directly address the issue of sanctions, his comments appear to be in line with India’s longstanding policy of seeking energy supplies from wherever they are available, regardless of the source country’s political relations with New Delhi.
This policy is driven by India’s concerns about energy security, which have only grown in recent years as the country has sought to reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas. In 2013-14, imports accounted for nearly 80% of the oil consumed in India, and around 60% of the natural gas.
Russia is an important supplier of both oil and gas to India. In 2013-14, Russia was the second-largest supplier of crude oil to India after Saudi Arabia, accounting for around 15% of total imports. It was also the third-largest supplier of natural gas, with a market share of around 9%.
Puri’s comments indicate that India is unlikely to halt its energy imports from Russia anytime soon, even as other countries move to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. This is in line with India’s longstanding policy of seeking energy supplies from wherever they are available, regardless of the source country’s political relations with New Delhi. While this policy is driven by concerns about energy security, it also underscores the importance that Russia plays as a supplier of oil and gas to India.
It is no secret that India has been looking to increase its oil and gas imports from Russia in light of the sanctions placed on the country by the United States and its allies. This has caused some tension between India and the United States, as Washington would prefer that New Delhi reduce its dependence on Moscow.
India has long been interested in increasing its imports of Russian oil and gas, a policy driven by concerns about energy security. The US has placed sanctions on Russia in response to the country’s actions in Ukraine, which has led to some tension between Washington and New Delhi.
While India is not happy with the sanctions, it appears unwilling to change its policy of importing from Russia regardless of political relations. One reason for this is that India fears being too reliant on any one source for its energy needs, given past problems with shortages.
Additionally, Indian officials have stated that they do not believe that the sanctions will be successful in changing Russian behaviour. So far, it does not appear that the US-India tensions have had a significant impact on trade between the two countries; however, this could change if relations continue to deteriorate.
The situation highlights an important challenge for the US as it seeks to increase its influence in Asia: how to deal with a major power like India that has different interests and is not always willing to follow Washington’s lead.
