Ready to support India in diversifying its energy imports: White House

Washington: The US stands ready to support India in diversifying its energy imports, the White House has said, reiterating its desire that New Delhi does not purchase oil from Russia amid American sanctions on Moscow for attacking Ukraine. The remarks made by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday come amid increasing disquiet in the West over India's indication to buy larger volumes of discounted crude oil from Russia. On Monday, the White House said the US views that it is not in India's interest to "accelerate or increase" imports of Russian energy and other commodities while offering to work with New Delhi to help it reduce its reliance on imports from Moscow.

"We do not think India should accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities even as, obviously, those decisions are made by individual countries," Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference. "And (the US is) also making clear that we stand ready to support India as in any efforts to diversify its imports and serve as a reliable supplier even as they're only importing about one to two per cent of their oil from Russia," she said in response to a question.

India gets the bulk of its energy supplies from the Middle-East and around 7.5 to 8 per cent from the US, while the procurement from Russia in the past was less than one per cent. Asserting that India is strongly against the Russia-Ukraine conflict as no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that if New Delhi has chosen a side, it is the side of peace and an immediate end to violence.