The US has temporarily allowed India to accept Russian oil already at sea to help maintain global energy supplies during disruptions linked to the conflict involving Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, as reported by PTI.
She added that the short-term measure is unlikely to provide significant financial benefit to Russia.
Here’s what Scott Bessant said
President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and the whole national security team “came to this decision because our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil”, Leavitt told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
“So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them (India) to accept that Russian oil. And this Russian oil was already at sea. It was already out on the water. So this short-term measure, we do not believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time,” she said.
Leavitt was responding to a question on the US issuing a 30-day waiver to India to purchase Russian oil in the backdrop of the escalating West Asia conflict.
Why US allow India to buy Russian oil?
Amid the conflict with Iran, the US said last week it was issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.
United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told FOX News, “They (Indians) stopped buying Russian Oil when we ordered them, now we are allowing them to accept Russian Oil to create supply.”
Donald Trump had imposed 25% punitive tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil, with his administration arguing that New Delhi’s imports were helping finance Russia’s war effort against Ukraine.
(This is a developing story; check back later for updates)
(With inputs from agencies)
