Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, has categorically rebuffed Western complaints against India's ongoing oil imports from Russia, saying that stopping such imports would essentially amount to shutting down the economy of the country.
In a recent interview with the UK's Times Radio, he challenged the fairness of the criticism, pointing out that many European countries are still purchasing rare earths and other energy resources from the same countries India is being warned against.
"Doesn't that seem a bit strange?" Mr Doraiswami had said in the interview.
Traditionally dependent on crude oil imports from the Middle East, India—now the world's third-largest oil importer—is now buying discounted Russian crude after Moscow made a strategic decision to tempt new consumers after being hit with Western sanctions in February 2022 for invading Ukraine.
Responding to the question on how New Delhi has been interacting with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, Doraiswami asserted that the bilateral relationship rests on diverse factors.
"One of them is our decades-old security relationship going back to a time when some of our Western allies would not sell weapons to us but would sell them to nations in our neighborhood who are using them solely to attack us," he said.
The diplomat further noted that India's energy cooperation with Russia has evolved as a result of being pushed out of established markets.
"So we have been pushed out of the energy market to a great extent, and the prices have increased. We are the third-largest energy consumer in the world. We export more than 80% of our product. What do you want us to do? Shut down our economy," said Mr Doraiswami.
He also added the selective associations that other countries have, which tend to be based on links with nations that India considers problematic.
"Meanwhile, we also observe around us relationships that other nations have for their own convenience with nations that are a cause of trouble for us. Do we request you to invent a small test of loyalty?" he inquired.
Referring to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, Doraiswami reitered India's persistent appeal for peace, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position.
"He's made that point several times, including to the president of Russia and to the president of Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky)," he said.
"We are very keen for this awful conflict to end, as we are keen for conflicts everywhere else in the world to end," Mr Doraiswami added.
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