Not an issue related to India: MEA on Russian crude oil purchase

India on Thursday once again asserted that crude oil purchases from Russia are guided by its energy security requirements.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that many countries have taken policy decisions from a similar point of view and the purchase of oil from Russia is not an issue related to India.

“We have consistently maintained that our approach is guided by our energy security needs. You will see that many regions and countries have recently taken policy decisions from a similar perspective,” he said.

Bagchi was responding to a question on the continuation of India’s purchase of crude oil from Russia.

He said, ‘We would like to reiterate that this is not an issue related to India.

There is some uneasiness in western capitals over India’s position on the Ukraine crisis and its decision to purchase concessional Russian oil.

India has not yet condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine and is pressing for an immediate end to the violence and a solution to the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.