Last week, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti claimed that the US had greenlighted India’s purchase of Russian oil so as to stabilise global oil prices. The remarks were made during an event of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
US Allowed Russian Oil Purchase
“We allowed the purchase to take place to ensure the prices did not go up globally,” Garcetti said. “We achieved what we wanted due to this arrangement, and India delivered on that,” he added.
The ambassador claimed that India bought Russian oil as the US wanted someone to buy it at a price cap. He said that the purchase was not a violation; instead, it was the design of the policy that aimed to keep oil prices in check. The G7 countries had imposed a $60 per barrel price cap in order to curtail Moscow’s profit margin.
"India brought Russian Oil, because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil...", says US ambassador Garcetti on India buying Russian oil ; Adds,'no Price Cap violation, we did not want oil prices to go up..' pic.twitter.com/it3zku9Hbs
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 11, 2024
According to reports, defying Western sanctions, India’s purchase of Russian crude increased by over 13 times the pre-war amounts. Recently, India’s oil imports from Russia hit a nine-month high in April. Earlier in February, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that India’s oil purchases from Russia helped stabilise the energy market and kept global inflation in control.
US Stance Changed?
Garcetti’s comments are being received with a pinch of salt in India, as the US has previously threatened India with “consequences” over importing Russian energy on several occasions. Regarding India’s discounted purchases, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in March 2022 that India must avoid falling on the “wrong side of history.”
In fact, during a virtual meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden said that it would not be in India’s best interest to “accelerate” its Russian energy imports. Biden even assured his country’s willingness to help India diversify its energy imports and reduce reliance on Russian oil.
Commenting on the incident, former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayat called Garcetti’s claims “ludicrous” in an interview with Rumble. He asserted that Washington hounded India on many occasions over its purchases. He accused the US envoy of giving a spin to reality and said that it is widely known that India does not take “diktat” from any country.
Noting the history of India-Russia ties and New Delhi’s defence dependence on Moscow, Garcetti admitted that the Soviet Union was there for India when the US was not. Talking about the success of India’s G20 Presidency, he said that during the summit, New Delhi was able to take Moscow to the side on the matter of the statement on Ukraine, which was critical of Russia.
US Satisfied with Pannun Case
Garcetti also commented on India’s response to the US allegations regarding Indian involvement in the foiled assassination bid of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. “The US is satisfied with the accountability it has demanded from India regarding the allegations that its officials were involved in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil,” he said.
The envoy remarked that the indictment marked the first significant challenge in the India-US relationship. “I would say the administration is satisfied with the accountability we have demanded on this matter because this is a red line for America and our citizens,” he remarked.