New Delhi: The Russia-Ukraine war keeps messing with energy markets, and India’s choice to buy more oil from Russia has upset the USA and Europe. But if you look closer, it seems like there’s a double standard. Western countries are blaming India, but they’re still doing a lot of business with Russia itself, which feels pretty hypocritical.
India didn’t start buying more Russian oil because they suddenly love Russia. They did it because they needed to. After the war started and energy prices went way up, India saw a chance to get cheap and reliable energy for its 1.4 billion people. Since Europe wasn’t buying as much oil from Russia, India stepped in. This helped keep India’s energy market stable and prices down for regular people.
It wasn’t just something they felt forced to do. It was a smart move in a crazy global market. One government official stated that India purchases energy to safeguard its economy and its citizens, rather than to make a political statement. This choice has helped India deal with rising oil prices, so fuel isn’t too expensive for the growing middle class and businesses.
Even though India’s being practical, the USA and Europe keep questioning why they’re buying Russian oil. But their moral argument doesn’t hold up that well. Surprisingly, the USA has encouraged India to buy Russian oil to keep the world’s energy markets steady, even while saying they don’t like it. The move has raised some eyebrows in India.
Meanwhile, Europe’s own business with Russia is pretty telling. In 2024, Europe traded about €67.5 billion worth of goods with Russia, which is way more than India does. They also traded €17.2 billion in services in 2023. What’s really interesting is that Europe bought a record amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in 2024 – 16.5 million tonnes, which is more than the 15.21 million tonnes they bought in 2022. Besides energy, Europe also buys stuff like fertiliser, chemicals, iron, steel, and machinery from Russia, which are all really important for their economies.
The USA is also guilty of this double-dealing. They still buy uranium hexafluoride for their nuclear stuff, palladium for electric cars, and fertilisers and chemicals from Russia. It’s pretty clear that the West are being unfair to India and only getting upset when it suits them.
India is a big and growing economy, and they’ve made it clear that they won’t mess around with what’s good for the country. Keeping their energy supply secure and their economy stable is super important, especially when things are so uncertain around the world. The government official also said India will keep making choices that are best for its people and its growth. People who are blaming us should look at their own business deals first.
While Western countries keep doing a lot of business with Russia but criticising India, it makes the whole talk about sanctions and doing the right thing seem fake. India must ensure it has enough energy and call out its critics’ hypocrisy.
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