As European Union (EU) Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell called for action against India for procuring Russian oil in the backdrop of ongoing Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urged him to go through the EU regulations.
This sharp reaction came late Tuesday in Brussels after Borrell’s remarks seeking action against Indian refined products from Russian crude.
Clarifying India’s position, Jaishankar said “Look at EU Council regulations, Russian crude is substantially transformed in the third country and not treated as Russian anymore. I would urge you to look at Council’s Regulation 833/2014.”
This comes after the bloc’s chief diplomat earlier said the EU should crack down on India reselling Russian oil as refined fuels including diesel into Europe as Western nations move to tighten sanctions on Moscow’s energy sector.
“India buys Russian oil, it’s normal... “ said EU’s Foreign policy chief Borrell but wants the bloc to act on refined products coming from India-made Russian crude in an interview with Financial Times.
While Borrell met Jaishankar at the trade technology talks in Brussels, he was not present at the press conference that followed.
In his place, EU Executive Vice President on Competition, Margrethe Vestager said there was “no doubt about the legal basis of the sanctions”, and that the EU and India would have the discussion as “friends... with an extended hand and of course, not a pointed finger.”
Along with Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar were also in the meeting.
Jaishankar on Monday arrived in Brussels for the last leg of his three-nation visit covering Bangladesh, Sweden and Belgium.
Jaishankar has all along defended India’s imports from Russia and indirectly criticized the West for pressurising New Delhi to minimise its trade with Russia.
He wondered how Europe could make choices to prioritise its own energy needs and at the same time ask India to do something else.
“Our trade with Russia is at a very small level- USD 12-13 billion, in comparison to European countries. We’ve also given the Russians a set of products... I don’t think people should read more into it other than the legitimate expectations of any trading country to increase its trade,” Jaishankar said earlier in December while addressing a joint press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.
“I would urge you to look at these figures. There is a website called ‘Russia Fossil Fuel Tracker’ that would give you country-by-country data of who is really importing what and I suspect that might be very very helpful,” he added.
