War against Ukraine can't be resolved by halting Russian oil purchases, Indian FM says

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar dismissed the notion that halting Russian oil imports could resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv on September 3. India is Russia's second-largest crude oil buyer, with China being the primary purchaser. The two nations' oil purchases have significantly funded Russia's war efforts since its invasion in 2022.

Jaishankar, speaking alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, asserted that solutions to the conflict would not emerge from the battlefield and that India was prepared to contribute to ending the war. He acknowledged the challenges of ensuring fuel supplies for India's 1.4 billion people and expressed respect for Ukraine's stance on Russian oil purchases, but also expected the same consideration for India's position.

Jaishankar emphasized that the five-year conflict would not be resolved by whether parties buy or do not buy oil, alumina, minerals, or metals. Instead, he stressed that the conflict could only be solved through dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations. This perspective aligns with the U.S. government, which imposed 25% tariffs on Indian imports in August over trade with Russia, subsequently reducing the levy to 18%.

The U.S. House is set to vote later in September on a bill that could impose tariffs of up to 100% on nations among the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.