Biden Doesn't Ask India to Stop Buying Russian Oil
President Joe Biden didn’t ask Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop buying Russian gas during an April 11 virtual discussion, despite India's continued purchases of Russian oil at a discount. The U.S. plans to respect India’s energy decisions, a senior administration official said, adding the country’s purchases of Russian energy represent only about 2% of its total energy imports. “We've been very clear that we've been able to ban oil and [liquefied natural gas] and coal imports from Russia,” the official said during an April 11 call with reporters after the two leaders held a virtual meeting. “Other countries have to make their own choices.”
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Although Biden didn’t push India to impose a Russian energy ban, he also didn’t encourage the purchases, the official said, and offered to help the country find other sources. “We don't think India should accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy,” the official said, “and the U.S. is ready to support India and remain in a conversation with India about its diversification of imports.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine, India has bought Russian oil at a discount, according to an April 1 Reuters report.
Biden and Modi discussed other ways to “mitigate the destabilizing impacts of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war,” the official said, including around global food supply chain issues. “India is in a position to assist” with food shortages, the official said. “There were some discussions about what more India might be able to do.”