After the start of the sanctions war, Russian Federation became the second largest supplier of oil to India.
The Indian authorities and local energy companies are firmly defending national interests and do not want to join the oil embargo of Western countries on Russian oil. Instead, the Asian country plans to continue buying large quantities of raw materials from Moscow, Oil and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in the United States.
"I don't sign agreements with Russia. The oil companies do that. And our oil companies don't wake me up in the morning saying, 'What do you want for breakfast - you want 2 million barrels from Russia, 3 million barrels less than anywhere else? We don't work that way," Puri warned.
According to him, the oil embargo by Western countries against Russian oil doesn't make much sense. The measure does not apply to many major importers of raw materials. Puri also noted that the Indian authorities may formally consider a proposal by Western countries to introduce a price ceiling on Russian oil. In practice, however, they are likely to remain committed to protecting the country's national interests.