Russia slams US for trying to stop India from buying oil

News Topical, Digital Desk : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with BRICS TV channel, targeted the US and said that efforts are being made to prevent India and other partners from buying oil from Russia, Sputnik reported on Monday.

The Russian foreign minister also touched on a number of issues, including last year's peace talks in Alaska, and how Washington aims to exert economic dominance using coercive methods such as tariffs, bans, and outright sanctions.

What did Lavrov say?

"They (the US) tell us that the Ukrainian problem must be solved. In Anchorage, we accepted the US proposal. The US position was important for us. By accepting their proposal, it seemed that we had completed the task of resolving the Ukrainian issue and were moving towards large-scale and mutually beneficial cooperation. So far, the reality is exactly the opposite," Lavrov said.

He further said, "New bans have been imposed, a 'war' is being waged against tankers on the high seas in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They are trying to ban India and our other partners from buying cheap, affordable Russian energy resources (Europe has long been banned) and forcing them to buy US LNG at exorbitant prices."

'Target to establish economic dominance'

He said the US has set itself the goal of "establishing economic dominance." It wants to control the routes to access its energy sources for major countries. Lavrov said that tariffs, sanctions, outright bans, and preventing some from connecting with others are all measures being taken to achieve this objective.

"We have to take all this into account and be open to cooperation with all countries, including major powers like the US, like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil. We are in a situation where the Americans themselves are creating artificial obstacles," he said.

His statement comes after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday that India's energy decisions will continue to be driven by national interests. Misri said India is an importer in the oil and gas sector and, as a developing economy, must be aware of the impact of import dependence on its resource availability and inflation.

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