Biden Puts the Brakes on India Increasing Russian Oil Imports

Biden to Hold Virtual Summit with Indian Prime Minister Modi on the 11th

President Joe Biden of the United States [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] U.S. President Joe Biden is reported by major foreign media on the 10th to request Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual summit on the 11th (local time) not to increase energy imports from Russia.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced in a statement that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi will hold a virtual summit on the 11th. Psaki emphasized, "President Biden will continue close consultations with India to mitigate the serious consequences caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impact on global food supplies and raw material markets."

Dalip Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House National Security Council (NSC), who visited India last week, said, "The U.S. does not want to set a red line on India's Russian energy imports," but added, "However, we hope that the volume of Russian energy purchases does not increase sharply."

Contrary to the U.S. government's hopes, India's purchases of Russian oil have reportedly surged after the war. It is estimated that India has purchased at least 13 million barrels of crude oil from Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. This is nearly equivalent to the 16 million barrels India purchased annually from Russia last year. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, India's share of Russian crude oil exports was only about 3%.

India has traditionally advocated non-aligned diplomacy. India is a member of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India) led by the U.S., and also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) established by China and Russia. India is the only Quad member country that has not imposed sanctions on Russia.

Brian Deese, Chair of the U.S. National Economic Council (NEC), warned on the 6th that the U.S. government is disappointed with the Indian government's response to the Ukraine war and that India will pay a price if it strategically cooperates with Russia.