According to Russian media RT, reported on September 4th, Indian Foreign Minister Sajjad Singh stated during his visit to Ukraine that restricting energy trade and sanctioning Russian oil buyers cannot resolve the conflict in Ukraine. India believes that all parties must address the crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means.
Su Jiesheng met with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Serhii Sibrig on the 3rd in Kyiv. After the meeting, he said: 'The Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its fifth year, and it cannot be resolved by simply having some countries buy or not buy oil, alumina, minerals, metals, and fertilizers. This conflict must be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations.'
When asked whether India would reduce its oil purchases from Russia if the United States imposed severe sanctions on Russian oil buyers, Su Jiesheng replied that providing energy for India’s 1.4 billion population is a formidable challenge during times of global energy shortages.
Su Jiesheng emphasized that India respects Ukraine's views on Russia's energy issues, and hopes that India's position will also be respected. He added that the Indian government is willing to help all parties involved in the conflict find solutions to their problems.
Indian Foreign Minister Sujith Reddy
The U.S. Congress is pushing a new bill that imposes sanctions on Russia. This bill is named after the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. It proposes imposing a maximum 100% ad valorem tariff on goods imported to the United States from the top five importers of Russian crude oil or natural gas. The bill has been passed by the U.S. Senate and is awaiting consideration by the House of Representatives. Ukraine has been lobbying U.S. lawmakers to support this bill.
According to statistics from the commodity data company Kpler, last month Russia was India's largest source of crude oil, with an average daily supply of 2.1 million barrels, accounting for 45% of India's crude oil imports. This figure is lower than the record average of 2.8 million barrels per day in July, due to some reductions in purchases by Indian refiners.
