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EYE ON INDIA SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 | The Indian Eye 10

The Russia Oil Question: Is

Sanctioning India the Right Approach?

Washington’s push to penalise countries buying Russian energy raises a larger question:

can pressure on India weaken Moscow without imposing wider costs on global energy

security and the India-US relationship?

OUR BUREAU India to remain a major strategic part-
ner in the Indo-Pacific. McMaster ex-
Washington, DC / New Delhi
plicitly argued that the US should not
EW DELHI — The debate pressure India to take sides against
over Russian oil has moved Russia or abandon groupings such as
Nfrom geopolitics to a diffi- BRICS.
cult question of economic statecraft: There is also the question of
should countries such as India be pe- Western consistency.
nalised for buying Russian crude, or McMaster criticised continued
should the focus remain on reducing US reliance on Russian uranium,
Russia’s energy revenues without calling it “nuts”, while acknowledging
forcing major consumers into abrupt that supply-chain realities could lead
changes in supply? to waivers for critical dependencies.
The question has gained urgency That admission illustrates the difficulty
after the US Congress advanced legis- of designing sanctions that are simul-
lation giving President Donald Trump taneously comprehensive, enforce-
authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 able and economically sustainable.
per cent on countries continuing to For India, the issue is therefore
purchase Russian petroleum or natu- not simply whether Russian oil should
ral gas. Former US National Security be bought. It is about who bears the
Adviser Lt Gen HR McMaster has ar- cost of changing that policy and how
gued that Washington should use such quickly it can be done.
economic pressure to raise the cost of India can continue diversifying
Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine. its energy sources, including supplies
But India is not a European from the United States and the Mid-
country with the same geographical dle East, while maintaining its stated
relationship to the Russia-Ukraine priority of energy security. Washing-
conflict. Its energy requirements are ton, meanwhile, faces a choice be-
enormous, while its crude oil pro- Russia remains an important Indian defence partner, with longstanding cooperation involving tween applying maximum economic
duction remains insufficient to meet military platforms, technology, engines, spare parts and components (ANI file photo) pressure on every major Russian-en-
domestic demand. For New Delhi, ergy buyer and pursuing a more differ-
therefore, Russian crude is part of a can be understood as legitimate na- duce dependence on fossil fuels. entiated strategy that takes individual
wider strategy of securing supplies tional interests, but they do not neces- There is another issue: India’s countries’ circumstances into account.
from multiple sources and keeping sarily point in the same direction. relationship with Russia extends well The effectiveness of sanctions
energy available at affordable prices. There is also a question about beyond oil. ultimately depends not only on their
Former diplomat Ashok Sajjan- what happens to the global oil market Russia remains an important In- severity but also on their ability to
har told reporters that India’s over- if large quantities of Russian crude dian defence partner, with longstand- change behaviour without producing
riding concern would remain energy are suddenly removed from interna- ing cooperation involving military consequences that undermine wider
security and that Russian crude had tional trade. Sajjanhar warned that platforms, technology, engines, spare strategic objectives.
become an important component of a substantial reduction in Russian parts and components. McMaster For the United States, the chal-
its supplies. He noted that Russian supplies could push up international himself acknowledged this complexity. lenge is to pressure Russia without
oil, which accounted for relatively lit- energy prices, including refined petro- While supporting tougher measures unnecessarily damaging relations with
tle of India’s imports before February leum products. against major buyers of Russian en- India. For India, the challenge is to
2022, subsequently rose substantially, That possibility complicates the ergy, he said Washington should have protect energy security while manag-
reaching about 45 per cent in July and argument that sanctions automatical- “sympathy” for India’s circumstances ing the geopolitical consequences of
August according to his assessment. ly produce the desired result. If Rus- and questioned whether the US real- its Russian purchases.
This creates the central contra- sian barrels disappear from the mar- ly wanted to alienate Russia at a time The Russia oil debate, therefore,
diction in the sanctions debate. ket, prices could rise. Higher prices when India faces security challenges is bigger than oil. It is a test of wheth-
Washington wants to make Rus- could increase the cost of transport, involving both China and Pakistan. er economic pressure can be calibrat-
sian energy exports less profitable. manufacturing and food production His comments expose an import- ed to the realities of an increasingly
India wants to ensure that 1.4 billion well beyond Russia and potentially ant tension within the American ap- multipolar world — and whether stra-
people have reliable access to energy create inflationary pressure in econo- proach. Washington wants to increase tegic partnerships can survive when
at reasonable prices. Both objectives mies that are themselves trying to re- pressure on Moscow, but it also wants national interests do not always align.

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