India defends oil imports from Russia, points out US, EU duplicity

India on Monday defended India’s continued import of oil from Russia amid criticism from the United States and the European Union (EU), terming such objections “unjustified and unreasonable.” New Delhi also reminded Washington that when it began importing from Russia after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the US "actively encouraged such imports". It also countered the stance of the European Union for singling out Indian refiners over their exports of crude.The foreign ministry said that while India's imports are "a necessity compelled by the global market situation", the nations criticising it are themselves "indulging in trade with Russia" even when "such trade is not even a vital compulsion". The ministry pointed out that the nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. “Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” the statement added.

Statement by Official Spokesperson
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— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 4, 2025

Citing trade data, the MEA highlighted that the European Union in 2024 had a bilateral trade of Euro 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at Euro 17.2 billion in 2023. This is significantly more than India’s total trade with Russia that year or subsequently. European imports of LNG in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5mn tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21mn tonnes in 2022. Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment.New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that its foreign policy decisions, including energy partnerships, are independent and based on pragmatic considerations, particularly in light of volatile global markets.