Jaishankar defends India’s Russian oil sales amidst EU crackdown threat

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar suggested European Union Council laws be examined in response to Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, who asked for action against Indian refined oil produced from Russian crude. According to Jaishankar, Russian crude is significantly transformed in a third country and is no longer deemed Russian. He requested that Borrell study Council Regulation 833/2014 deeper.

Borrell has highlighted concerns about India reselling Russian oil, especially diesel, into Europe as Western nations strengthened sanctions on Moscow’s energy industry. Borrell and Jaishankar met during the trade technology negotiations in Brussels, but Borrell did not attend the following news conference.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s Executive Vice President for Competition, instead affirmed the legality of the penalties and emphasised the importance of negotiations between the EU and India as allies, not enemies. The meeting was attended by Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics, and Technology.

Jaishankar’s trip to Brussels was the culmination of a three-nation tour that comprised Bangladesh, Sweden, and Belgium. Previously, Jaishankar defended India’s Russian imports, indirectly criticising the West’s demand on New Delhi to reduce commerce with Russia as a result of its actions in Ukraine. He questioned Europe’s ability to prioritise its own energy requirements while expecting India to take other policies.

Jaishankar highlighted the relatively small scale of India’s trade with Russia compared to European countries and emphasised the legitimate expectations of any trading nation to expand its trade. He also suggested visiting the “Russia Fossil Fuel Tracker” website for country-specific import data, which he thought would be useful in comprehending the situation.