Moscow/Kyiv: Russia and Ukraine are now engaged in a war of words over supplies of crude to India.
A day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that India was aiding Russian war efforts by purchasing Russian oil, Moscow said its energy cooperation with New Delhi “significantly mitigated” the impact of the US war on Iran and disruptions to global energy trade.
Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko said on Wednesday that Moscow’s understandings with New Delhi had helped India deal with the energy shock following the Strait of Hormuz crisis in the Middle East.
Rudenko described Russia as a “reliable exporter” capable of meeting the demand of its partners “even in the most challenging geopolitical conditions”, citing the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by News18.
Zelenskyy has called for an end to the oil trade between India and Russia, arguing that Moscow is heavily dependent on countries including India for its economic growth and that cutting energy ties could force Russia to stop fighting the Ukraine war.
Russia was relying on India, Turkey and China for its economy Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
“Russia is basing its economy on India, sometimes Turkey and China. And it is obvious if these guys stop their energy trade with Russia, then it (Russia) will have to stop fighting the war,” he said.
India, China and the United States could collectively ensure that Russia is no longer able to continue the war, the Ukrainian president said.
His remarks came days after US president Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law.
The legislation gives Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil, including India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
He hoped the legislation would help pressure Russia into ending the war, Zelenskyy said.
“I hope that we will end this (Russia-Ukraine war) and President Trump will help us to end this war. We need to do this as soon as possible, before winter, better before winter,” he said during a media interaction on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Zelenskyy also said he hoped Trump would use the powers under the sanctions law if Russian president Vladimir Putin refused to de-escalate the war, Reuters reported.
India has remained one of the major importers of Russian oil, with supplies from Moscow accounting for roughly one-third to nearly half of the country’s crude imports in recent times.
The energy trade has repeatedly become a point of friction with the Trump administration. One major instance was the US doubling tariffs on Indian imports to 50% last year before eventually reducing them.
India has consistently maintained that its energy import decisions are based on market offers and the country’s sovereign energy security requirements.
Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov had said earlier this month that New Delhi was buying Russian oil for its own development and not to support Moscow.
Criticising the US sanctions threat, he said Russia remained committed to meeting India’s energy requirements.
