Washington/New Delhi, March Agency (Agency) The US has said that countries that are considering buying Russian crude at discounted prices should abide by US sanctions, amid reports that India may be exploring that option. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Tuesday: “Our message to any country continues to be: abide by the sanctions we’ve put in place and recommended – I don’t believe this would be violating that – but also think about where you want to stand when the history books are written on this moment in time,” when asked about the possibility of countries such as India purchasing the discount oil.
India is reported to be exploring options for buying Russian crude oil amid plummeting oil prices after Moscow was hit by US sanctions over the Ukraine war. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the government was having conversations “at the appropriate level of the Russian Federation” regarding the purchase. “Discussions are currently underway. There are several issues to be gone into like how much oil is available,” he told parliament. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last week that Russia wants to attract Indian investment in the oil and gas industry, in the wake of the western sanctions.