News9 Live | 'Let me correct your perspective': Hardeep Singh Puri clears air on India's Russian oil purchase

Nov 01,2022

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

Puri defended India's purchases by saying that the country bought 0.2 per cent and not two per cent of Russian oil.

"Let me first try and correct your perspective. We ended the financial year on March 31, 2022 and the purchases of Russian oil were 0.2 per cent and not two per cent. We only brought a quarter of oil of what Europe buys in one afternoon," Puri said.

Puri said Russia is not the largest supplier of oil to India, and added that last month, the largest supplier of oil to India was Iraq. 

"We have a moral duty towards our consumers and us 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," the Union minister said.

Puri further said that India continues to enjoy healthy discussions with the US and Europe and the government is not under pressure.

Talking about India's backup plan if the West tightens the oil ban from Russia, Puri said, "We have many backup plans. We have healthy discussions going on with the US and Europe. Modi government doesn'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."