Each Country Going To Make Its Own Decision: US Spox On India Purchasing Russian Oil

Vedant Patel termed India-US ties as "one of the most consequential bilateral relationships."

Vedant Patel termed India-US ties as "one of the most consequential bilateral relationships."

New Delhi: The United States has said that each country will make its own decision, US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told ANI when asked about India’s ties with Russia as it continues to purchase oil even though most countries have stopped due to its invasion of Ukraine. 

"Our understanding is that of course each country is going to make their own decisions. But the one thing that we've been clear about on Russia and specifically Russian energy sales is...why we've been such a big advocate for the oil price cap.”

He explained that the oil price cap ensures that the oil and energy continue to flow onto the market and that supply meets demands.

“But it also ensures that Russia doesn't get a windfall of profits to fund its war machine. We've never intended for anybody to try and keep energy off of the market”, Patel added. 

Patel, when asked about India’s stance on International events including the Ukraine conflict, said that New Delhi has taken on an incredible role and they have an "ambitious agenda" for their G20 Presidency. “You have to remember that one of the key things about this year 2023 is that India has the G20 Presidency and they have a very ambitious agenda for their G20 Presidency, one that the United States is ready to partner with them on.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have been clear that "this is not the time of war" and a resolution needs to be made based on the United Nations charter, he said adding that the US shares the same values. 

During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand last year, PM Modi said, "today's era is not of war." Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine in February last year, India has insisted on resolving the dispute through dialogue and diplomacy.

Vedant Patel also spoke about the agenda of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting held on March 2 in New Delhi. He said that in the sessions, very important issues that affected every corner of the planet were discussed, including food security, economic ties and energy security. 

Vedant Patel termed India-US ties as "one of the most consequential bilateral relationships." India is a critical partner for the US in various sectors, including maintaining the rules-based order and shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, he said.

“India is a critical partner in a number of areas, certainly to maintain the rules-based international order, our vision, our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. You have to remember that we are two of the world's largest democracies, and so we have a lot of shared values and shared priorities," he was quoted by ANI.