Voicing concern over Western sanctions policies, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal questioned why India was being “singled out” over its oil dealings with Russia, while European nations appear to have secured quiet exemptions.
The discussion unfolded between Piyush Goyal and Douglas Alexander, a UK trade minister, as the two sides compared sanctions linked to Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil giant.
“So then why single out India?” Goyal pointed out that after the UK minister acknowledged that London and Berlin had already resolved their own energy supply issues with Washington’s blessing.
The video of this exchange has gone viral on social media and is winning praise from many users, who lauded Goyal for a direct confrontation with the UK minister.
The British minister, who appeared momentarily taken aback, explained that the issue “was about a specific subsidiary in relation to Rosneft” but quickly added, “Come and talk to us. My door is always open,” signalling a willingness to discuss India’s concerns.
Goyal, however, pressed the point further, noting that India also hosts subsidiaries of Rosneft, calling out the inconsistency in how sanctions are being applied.
India calls out ‘Western double standards’
The exchange highlighted “Western double standards,” where European allies are typically afforded flexibility under US and EU sanctions regimes, while non-Western partners, such as India, face pressure to curtail their strategic autonomy.
Amid the ongoing row over sanctions, New Delhi has repeatedly defended its decision to purchase Russian oil, arguing that it does so on purely economic grounds and in accordance with international law.
The video comes days after the United States announced sanctions against major Russian oil companies on Wednesday (local time) as a result of “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine”.
India vs US over Russian oil
The fresh sanctions announced by the US target two of Russia’s largest oil companies — Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft) and Lukoil OAO (Lukoil).
After the sanctions, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that India, along with China, has begun scaling back purchases of Russian oil at the request of US President Donald Trump.
Currently, India is facing 50 per cent tariffs by the US, half of which were imposed as punishment for buying oil from Russia.
