On Monday, President Joe Biden will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he encourages international leaders to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The United States is concerned about India’s impartial attitude in the battle, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised India last month for analyzing “the issue in its whole, not only in a one-sided approach.”
India recently abstained when the United Nations General Assembly decided to suspend Russia’s membership in the 47-member Human Rights Council amid claims that Russian forces in Ukraine committed human rights breaches that the US and Ukraine have labeled war crimes.
With 58 abstentions, the result was 93-24.
Biden will discuss the repercussions of Russia’s assault on Ukraine “and reducing its destabilizing influence on global food supply and commodities markets” in the virtual meeting, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
They’ll talk about “strengthening the global economy and supporting a free, open, rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific to bolster security, democracy, and prosperity,” she added.
Despite pressure from Western countries to stop importing Russian oil and gas, India continues to acquire Russian energy supplies. India’s recent acquisition of powerful Russian air defense systems has also prompted the US to contemplate penalties.
Last month, the state-run Indian Oil Corporation purchased 3 million barrels of Russian oil to meet its demands, defying Western pressure to avoid such purchases. However, India isn’t the only country that buys Russian electricity. Despite public pressure to terminate these contracts, certain European allies, such as Germany, have continued to do so.
According to Indian media sources, Russia is giving a 20% discount on oil imports compared to global benchmark pricing.
With a 27 percent market share, Iraq is India’s largest supplier. According to the Press Trust of India news agency, Saudi Arabia is in second place with roughly 17%, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 13% and the United States with 9%.
