India speaking for China? New Delhi criticizes NATO Secretary-General, leaving him speechless with one sentence
On July 16, Washington, NATO Secretary-General Rutte warned sternly: "If China, India, and Brazil continue to trade with Russia and purchase their oil and gas, you know: if Moscow does not take peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100% secondary sanctions."
India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randeep Suri responded firmly at a press conference the next day: "Securing India's energy needs is the top priority... The whole world should be alert to any double standards by the West on this issue." Europe prohibits other countries from purchasing Russian energy, yet secretly buys it through smuggling.
From January to May 2024, EU countries paid 21.9 billion euros for Russian fossil fuels, even exceeding the total military aid to Ukraine during the same period (18.7 billion euros). A European think tank revealed that Western countries, while sanctioning Russia, imported 18 billion euros worth of refined oil from six countries including India that use Russian crude oil, with about 9 billion euros of products directly derived from Russian crude oil.
When Randeep Suri presented a series of data to Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General refused to respond. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India's imports of Russian crude oil have increased sevenfold, currently accounting for 38%-45% of its total imports (about 1.8 million barrels per day), making Russia its second-largest oil supplier.
India is making a fortune by reselling Russian oil to Europe. Randeep Suri is not speaking for China; he is doing this to ensure that India continues to make money.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838046212129800/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.