ET Now | India will buy oil from wherever it has to, no country told us to stop buying oil from Russia: Hardeep Singh Puri

Oct 09,2022

Reiterating our stance of purchasing oil from the country of our choice like Russia after OPEC+ announced a slash in oil production, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that no country has told New Delhi to stop buying oil from Russia.

While taking to reporters in Washington DC during his ongoing US visit, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday touched on several topics including how India will balance OPEC+ oil production cut, diversification of energy - equity infusion, bio-fuel blending and green hydrogen.

Puri stated that India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer, will keep purchasing oil from any country that it has to. Recently, Russia became India’s second-largest crude oil supplier after Saudi Arabia in September as our imports surged 18. 5 per cent from August after falling for two months.

The government has a moral duty to provide energy at affordable rates to consumers, Puri stated. “India will buy oil from wherever it has to for the simple reason that this kind of a discussion cannot be taken to the consuming population of India. Have I been told by anyone to stop buying Russian oil? The answer is a categorical ‘no’,” he said.

Further, sharing his views of the topic of balancing the imports from OPEC+ countries as well as from the US, which is also a oil exporting country, Puri said, "If you are clear about your policy, which means you believe in energy security, energy affordability you will buy from wherever you have to. Our energy purchases from sources hitherto unheard of, we are in discussion with them."It is worth mentioning here that India has not publicly criticised Russia for its ‘special military action’ in Ukraine and become Russia’s number two oil buyer after China.