NEW DELHI– India on Thursday pushed back strongly against recent comments made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, warning against any “double standards” regarding sanctions on countries trading with Russia.
“We’ve seen the reports and are closely monitoring the situation. Let me reiterate that securing our citizens’ energy needs is an overriding priority,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly press briefing. “Our actions are guided by market availability and prevailing global circumstances. We particularly caution against any double standards on this issue.”
Rutte, speaking during a visit to Washington earlier this week, warned that countries like China, India, and Brazil could face tough economic sanctions if they continue trading with Russia.
“If you’re the President of China, the Prime Minister of India, or the President of Brazil, and you’re still doing business with Russia—buying their oil and gas—then you should know: if the man in Moscow doesn’t take peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 percent secondary sanctions,” Rutte said.
In response, India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri emphasized that India has significantly diversified its oil sources and is not overly concerned about any potential U.S. crackdown on Russian oil exports.
Speaking at the Urja Varta 2025 event, Puri stated that India now sources oil from 40 countries, compared to just 27 in 2007, and noted that the global oil market remains well supplied.
“There’s plenty of oil in the market,” said Puri. “Iran and Venezuela are under sanctions now—but will that be the case forever? Countries like Brazil and Canada are increasing their output. I’m not unduly worried about supply disruptions. We’ve diversified.”
Puri’s remarks come after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 15 that the U.S. would impose secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil unless a peace deal with Ukraine is reached within 50 days. Trump said tariffs on Russian exports would rise to 100 percent and warned countries like India and China to halt Russian oil purchases.
Responding to Trump’s threats, Puri said, “I’ve heard these statements. Sometimes they’re made to push the parties involved toward resolving their differences.”
He also pointed out that India’s oil trade with Russia has helped stabilize global oil prices. At the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, India imported just 0.2 percent of its crude oil from Russia. Today, that figure has surged to nearly 40 percent.
Puri noted that Russian crude has always been priced under a $60-per-barrel cap but was never formally sanctioned. “India continues to avoid buying crude from countries under formal sanctions,” he said.
He further emphasized the scale of Russia’s output and the global impact if it were suddenly removed from the market. “Russia produces over nine million barrels a day—about 10 percent of global supply. If that vanished, prices could have spiked to $130 per barrel. Our engagement helped prevent that chaos.” (Source: IANS)
