Biden administration had put all its diplomatic apparatus to bully India over the import of discounted Russian oil and gas. However, all it took to send across this loud and clear message was a sharp statement by India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, to bring the Biden administration to its knees. The US even agrees that India’s imports from Russia constitute only 1 to 2 percent of the country’s total energy imports. So, how did the Biden administration go from threatening India on the issue to simply bowing down?
Read more: Biden’s desperate attempt to drag India against Russia, and India’s diplomatic surgical strike
US warned India about the consequences of buying Russian oil
The US had actually started by threatening India over purchases of discounted Russian oil. US Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh even said, “No one should kid themselves – Russia is going to be the junior partner in this relationship with China. And the more leverage that China gains over Russia, the less favorable that is for India. I don`t think anyone would believe that if China once again breached the Line of [Actual] Control, Russia would come running to India`s defense.”
Now, that was way below the belt. The Biden administration was trying to blackmail India and compel New Delhi to undermine its relationship with Moscow. However, Dr. S. Jaishankar soon gave a brutal reality check to the US and the Western world.
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Jaishankar’s reality check
In a befitting reply to the Western world, Dr. S. Jaishankar said, “I think it’s natural for countries to go out into the market and look for what are good deals for their people.”
The External Affairs Minister also said, “When oil prices go up, I think it’s natural for countries to go out into the market and look for what are good deals for them. But I am pretty sure if we wait two or three months and actually look at who are the big buyers of Russian gas and oil, I suspect the list won’t be very different from what it used to be. And I suspect we won’t be at the top 10 of that list”.
The US bows down
After being made to realize that the Western world is the one buying bulk of Russian energy, the Biden administration simply bowed down before India.
Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, made it a point to tone down Daleep Singh’s remarks against India. In relatively subtle remarks, Jen Psaki said that “every country should abide by the sanctions that we [ the U.S.] have announced and that we’re implementing around the world”.This time around the US has tried to twist its narrative. Psaki said, “What Daleep did make clear to his counterparts during this visit, was that we don’t believe it’s in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities.”
Anyhow, Psaki too admitted that India’s Russian oil purchases constituted 1-2% of its total energy imports. She claimed that Daleep Singh had actually offered support to end India’s “small percentage of reliance” on Russian oil.
Well, Daleep Singh said exactly what he wanted to say. He was trying to intimidate India by bringing in the LAC issue. However, following Jaishankar’s tough reply, Jen Psaki seems to have gone into damage control mode.
The Biden administration was ready to blackmail India, but it is down on its knees following Jaishankar’s remarks.