The US and its allies have realised that they cannot use their autonomous foreign policy to force New Delhi to toe the Western line in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war. According to US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, Washington gave New Delhi permission to purchase Russian oil in order to “make sure that the prices did not go up globally.”
This is essentially an acknowledgement on the part of the US that it decided not to provoke its close partner and fellow Quad member. Garcetti’s comments align with the words made by US Treasury Assistant Secretary Eric Van Nostrand last month, who stated that the US had not requested that India reduce its imports of Russian oil.
Source: The Japan Times
India has managed to maintain a delicate balance between its established trading connections with Russia and its increasing proximity to the US despite being under significant pressure. Given that India depends more than 85% on imports and is the third-largest user of crude oil globally, New Delhi’s strategy has been determined by domestic requirements.
It is noteworthy that India’s import bill for crude oil decreased from $157.50 billion in 2022–2023 to $132.40 billion in 2023–2024. The country’s considerable savings were primarily made possible by the acquisition of Russian oil at a favourable discount.New Delhi has made it plain that its long-term relationship with Russia would not be impacted by its relationships with the US and other Western countries.
Source: Hindustan Times
During the Munich Security Conference in February, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated emphatically, “Different countries and different relationships have different histories… We are not purely unsentimentally transactional.” It is anticipated that India will benefit greatly from this approach of rejecting one-dimensional interactions in the new multipolar world order. Furthermore, it appears that the West has now realised that India cannot be disregarded when it comes to issues that have global ramifications, such as the conflict in Gaza or the Ukraine.
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