The White House has reiterated that it is not in India’s interest to “accelerate or increase” imports of Russian energy and other commodities, while offering to work with New Delhi to help it reduce its reliance on imports from Moscow. At the same time Psaki said that energy payments by India are not sanctioned and New Delhi’s imports of Russian energy represent only 1 to 2 per cent of its total energy imports. Singh, the US deputy National Security Adviser, who played a key role in designing American sanctions against Russia, was in New Delhi last week in the backdrop of increasing disquiet among Western powers over India not criticising Russia over its attack on Ukraine. She said that “energy payments are not sanctioned; that’s a decision made by each individual country. And we’ve been very clear that each country is going to make their own choices, even as we have made the decision and other countries have made the decision to ban energy imports”.

Source: The Telegraph April 06, 2022 03:24 UTC