Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday accused the United States of trying to block India and other countries from buying Russian oil, Sputnik reported.
Speaking in an interview with TV BRICS, Lavrov said Washington is using “coercive” measures such as tariffs, sanctions, and direct prohibitions to achieve economic dominance.
Lavrov referred to the peace talks in Alaska last year and said the US had presented a proposal on Ukraine, which Russia accepted. “They (US) tell us that the Ukraine problem should be resolved. In Anchorage, we accepted the US Proposal… The US position was important to us. By accepting their proposal, we seem to have completed the task of resolving the Ukrainian issue and moving on to a dull-scale, broad-based and mutually beneficial cooperation. So far, the reality is quite the opposite. New sanctions are imposed, a ‘war’ against tankers in the open sea is being waged in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Putin’s aide said.
“They are trying to ban India and our other partners from buyinbg cheap, affordable Russian energy resources (Europe has long been banned), and are forcing them to buy US LNG at exorbitant prices,” he added.
Lavrov added that the US seeks to control energy routes and major markets. He said, “We have to take all of this into account while remaining open just like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil to cooperation with all countries, including major powers such as the United States. We are in a situation where the Americans themselves are creating artificial obstacles along the way.”
The remarks come amid reports that India is reducing oil imports from Russia. Addressing the issue, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday that India’s energy decisions will be guided by national interest. Misri noted that key drivers of energy policy are “adequate availability, fair pricing and reliability of supply” and added that the country must consider the impact of import dependence on inflation.
He said, “Safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers remains a top priority for the government.”
Earlier, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal clarified that India’s decisions on Russian oil are made by domestic buyers and are not dictated by the India-US interim trade agreement. He said it is in the country’s “strategic interest” to diversify energy sources.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also emphasized that diversifying energy sourcing in line with market conditions and international developments remains central to India’s strategy to ensure energy security for its population of 1.4 billion.
