US clarifies India’s Russian oil purchases minuscule; energy payments not under sanctions

By Arul LouisNew York, April 5 : Given the clamour in some US media and among politicians criticising India for buying oil from Russia, President Joe Bidens spokesperson Jen Psaki has clarified that its imports were minuscule and energy payments did not come under American sanctions.

"Right now, just to give everybody the full scope of it, Indias imports of Russian energy represent only 1 to 2 per cent of their total energy imports," she said at a briefing in Washington on Monday.

Psaki also clarified that "just given some of the reporting, energy payments are not sanctioned; thats a decision made by each individual country".She gave the clarifications while answering a reporters question that if "as part of this new effort to ramp up sanctions, is the administration going to be ramping up pressure on China and India to abide by existing sanctions?"In contrast to India, Germany imports about 55 per cent of its enormous gas requirement from Russia in addition to buying coal from it but it has escaped criticism or the snide questions that have dogged India.The other countries in the European Union that import Russian energy have also been free of criticism or demands to immediately cease imports.

Given Indias pivotal role in the Biden administrations Indo-Pacific strategy and its attempts to curtail Chinas influence, Washington has generally been supportive of New Delhi despite its neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its purchases from Mosocw."We also weve 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," Psaki added.

In another indication of this policy, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby deflected questions about sanctions on India for buying the Russian S-400 Triumf missile defence system drawing attention instead to New Delhis defence purchase diversification."We remain encouraged by Indias continued diversification of their defence equipment over just the past decade," he said at a Pentagon briefing on Monday.

Psaki said that US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh had offered to help India reduce the minuscule amount of its oil needs that it imports from Russia.In his talks with Indian officials last week in New Delhi, Singh "made clear that wed be happy to be a partner in reducing their reliance or even their small percentage of – of reliance on that", she said.

But he also told Indian officials that it was not in their countrys interests to increase imports from Russia, she said."While he explained both the mechanisms of our sanctions and reiterated that any country or entity should be abiding by those, we also made clear that wed be happy to be a partner in reducing their reliance or even their small percentage of – of reliance on that," Psaki added.

At the Pentagon briefing, Kirby was asked if the Biden administration would issue sanctions against India if it operationalises the S-400 system, which began arriving in India in November."I dont have anything on the sanctions to talk to you.Weve been very clear with our Indian partners about our concerns over this purchase and encouraging them, as we encourage many others, not to purchase Russian equipment."Noting New Delhis diversification of defence purchases, he added: "Well continue to have that conversation with the Indians."Asked if the S-400 would be incompatible with India being in the Quad, Kirby said: "I think weve made it very clear to India, our concerned about this particular purchase.Weve been very clear about that.

"The Quad is the four-nation group of India, the US, Japan and Australia that try to coordinate their strategies to ensure a free Indo-Pacific region where China has stepped up its aggressive posture.When a reporter tried to draw a parallel with Turkey, a NATO member that was being sanctioned for buying the S-400 system, Kirby said: "And we expressed the same concerns to them and thats why we had to make a decision on the F-35 (advanced fighter jets)."Because we believe that that capability, that air defence capability was fundamentally incompatible with them also having F-35s.

And we were very clear with our Turkish allies as well." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)al/ksk/ #Indias #Russian #purchases #minuscule #energy #Delhi #New York #Washington #China #Germany #Delhi #New Delhi #New York #Washington #Russia #Turkish #Turkey #Chase.