India Today | 'Let me correct your perspective': Union minister snubs journalist on India's Russian oil purchase

Nov 01,2022

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, snubbed a CNN journalist when asked about India's purchase of Russian oil in an interview.

Puri defended India's purchases, stating that India only bought 0.2 per cent, not 2 percent, of Russian oil. Moreover, we still buy a quarter of what Europe buys in one afternoon, he told the journalist, when asked about India's purchase of oil from Russia amid the Ukraine invasion.

On journalist's claims that India is benefitting from the purchase of discounted Russian oil and its qualms about continuing to buy oil, the minister replied, "Let me first try and correct your perspective. We ended the financial year March 31, 2022 and the purchases of Russian oil was 0.2 percent and not 2 percent. We only brought a quarter of oil of what Europe buys in one afternoon."

Russia is not the largest supplier of oil to India. Last month, the largest supplier of oil to India was Iraq, the minister said.

"We have a moral duty towards our consumers and we to ensure that they are supplied with petrol, diesel. There is no moral conflict in buying Russian oil. We don't buy from X or Y, we buy whatever is available. I don't do the buying, it's the oil companies who do the buying," Puri said, when asked whether India had 'qualms' over purchasing so much from Russia. He said that India is under no moral conflict to stop buying oil from Russia.

The minister also clarified that India continues to enjoy healthy discussions with the US and Europe and the Modi government is not under pressure.

On India's backup plan if the West tightens the oil ban from Russia, Hardeep Singh Puri told the journalist, "We have many backup plans. We have healthy discussions going on with the US and Europe. Modi government dosen't feel the pressure. When you have an increase in oil prices, they have consequences - one of it is - there will be inflation and recession, another is we will make the transition in green energy."

Earlier, Hardeep Singh said that no country has told India to stop buying oil from Russia. "India will buy oil from wherever it has to for the simple reason that this kind of discussion can't be taken to consuming population of India...Have I been told by anyone to stop buying Russian oil? The answer is a categorical 'no'," the minister said.