Days after India’s decision to not support the price cap on Russian oil announced by the G7 countries and their allies, Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine tried to blame India for purchasing Russian oil at the expense of the sufferings of common Ukrainians.
“You enjoy the benefit of cheap Russian oil because someone in Ukraine is dying due to Russian aggression,” he said on Tuesday.
The Ukraine Minister also asked its Indian partners to extensively help the country as a ‘balancing act’ if they wish to continue to buy Russian oil at cheap prices. “Every country has a right about what to do for its economy to benefit. But the message that we are conveying to our Indian partners is very simple. You have the opportunity to buy cheap Russian oil. Russia is selling you cheap oil because it stands under enormous pressure from sanctions and other types of pressure. And the reason is its aggression against Ukraine,” the Foreign Minister said.
“If you take this element into account and continue to buy Russian oil then as a balancing act you begin to support Ukraine more heavily in a more extensive way because you understand that you enjoy the benefit of buying cheap Russian oil because someone in Ukraine is dying,” he added, the video of which was shared by journalist Sidhant Sibal on Twitter.
On December 11, Russia happened to welcome India’s decision to not support the price cap on Russian oil announced by the G7 countries and their allies. According to the reports, the price cap on Russian oil was imposed on December 5 by the G7 countries and their allies. the Group of Seven major nations, the European Union, and Australia agreed to a $60 per barrel price ceiling on Russian seaborne crude oil after EU members overcame Poland’s opposition.
The price limitation aims to limit Russia’s earnings as punishment for its war on Ukraine while ensuring Moscow continues to supply the global market. In an obvious reaction, Russia rejected the oil price ceiling and warned the West of retaliation. India meanwhile reiterated that it will continue to purchase oil from Russia with Moscow assuring that it will directly negotiate with its crude buyers. Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas also stated that India’s oil import from Russia is very limited and that India now sources oil from 39 countries including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, and is also exploring trade possibilities in Africa.