Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed the central government after the US allowed Indian refineries to buy Russian oil, which he described as “American blackmail” on India.
In a post on
He wrote, “Trump’s new game: Told Delhi’s friend that you can get oil from Putin. How long will this last? This is American blackmail.”
The statement comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said, “As a result of President Trump’s energy agenda, oil and gas production has reached an all-time high. To continue supplying oil to the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary waiver of 30 days to allow Indian refineries to purchase Russian oil.”
He added, “This deliberately short-term step will not provide any significant financial benefit to the Russian government, as it only authorizes transactions involving offshore oil. India is an important partner of the United States, and we fully expect New Delhi to increase its purchases of American oil. This temporary measure will reduce the pressure exerted by Iran’s attempt to hold global energy hostage.”
The relaxation comes at a time when India faces potential risks related to disruption of energy supplies in the Middle East, as tensions have escalated in West Asia following the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior figures as a result of the joint US and Israeli military strike on Iranian territory on February 28.
India sources about 40 percent of its oil imports from this region, a significant portion of which passes through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
