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While acknowledging that energy imports are a sovereign state’s choice, they are not a part of the sanctions regime, and India’s energy imports from Russia are in the range of just 1-2% of its total energy imports, the United States (US) has said it believes that it is not in India’s interest to “accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities”. Washington has also expressed its willingness to partner with New Delhi to reduce even “its small percentage of reliance” on Russia.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki made the remarks at a press briefing on Monday.
Asked about the Joe Biden administration’s efforts to ramp up pressure on India and China to abide by US-imposed sanctions, and about US deputy national security advisor Daleep Singh’s recent visit to India, Psaki said, “Certainly, our expectation and our public and private message is… will continue to be that every country should abide by the sanctions that we have announced and that we are implementing around the world.”
Singh’s visit to India last week resulted in a controversy in New Delhi after he warned of “consequences” if India sought to circumvent the sanctions regime.
Addressing the India-specific question, Psaki said, “I would note that, you know, just given some of the reporting, energy payments are not sanctioned; that’s a decision made by each individual country. And we have been very clear that each country is going to make their own choices, even as we have made the decision and other countries have made the decision to ban energy imports.”
At the same time, Psaki also pointed to Singh’s larger message: “What Daleep did make clear to his counterparts during this visit was that we don’t believe it’s in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities.”
She acknowledged that India’s imports from Russia are marginal — a point made by external affairs minister S Jaishankar last week, when he compared India’s limited imports from Russia, as well as its wider mix of energy sources, to Europe’s substantially higher imports from Russia in just the period since Russia’s invasion.
Psaki said, “Right now, just to give everybody the full scope of it, India’s imports of Russian energy represent only 1-2% of their total energy imports.”
According to the White House, Singh during his India visit had explained both the mechanisms of US sanctions and had reiterated that any country or entity should be abiding by those. “We also made clear that we would be happy to be a partner in reducing their reliance or even their small percentage of reliance on them,” Psaki said.
On energy imports, Washington’s focus at the moment is on Europe. After the revelations of civilian killings and mass graves in Bucha, Ukraine, there is renewed pressure in the West to ramp up its sanctions on Russia — with a particular focus on the need for Europe to reduce its oil and gas imports.
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