Marco Rubio defends US policy as India faces sanctions, China spared on Russian oil

Even as the US has imposed punitive tariffs on India for purchasing Russian crude oil, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged that imposing similar sanctions on China for the same reason could lead to an increase in global energy prices.

“If you impose secondary sanctions on a country, as in the case of Russian oil shipments to China, China will simply refine that oil and it will return to the global market. Anyone buying this oil will pay a higher price, or if it is unavailable, they will have to look for alternative sources,” Rubio told Fox News on Sunday (August 17).

He explained how European countries had already expressed their reservations about using such measures. Rubio said when the Senate bill proposing a 100 per cent tariff on China and India was being discussed in the US, several European nations told the Americans that they were not happy with what was being proposed.

‘Point of irritation’

Rubio had earlier admitted that India’s energy trade with Russia had for long been a ‘point of irritation’ with Washington.

He had said that India’s continued purchase of Russian oil was helping to sustain the Russian war in Ukraine, and was most certainly a “point of irritation” in the relations between the US and India, while clarifying that it was not the only area of concern.

Also Read: Trump: Tariffs on India over Russian oil prompted Moscow to seek talks with US

He said that India has huge energy needs to power its economy, like any country, and it buys oil, coal, and gas from Russia because it is cheap due to the sanctions. But unfortunately, India’s trade with Russia is helping sustain its war effort in Ukraine.

Double standards

While imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil and threatening secondary sanctions, Washington has refrained from sanctioning China.

This has sparked accusations of double standards against the US, for not imposing punitive measures against China though it continues to buy large amounts of oil from Russia.

Also Read: Trump says US tariffs on India deal 'big blow' to Russia

Trump justifies India tariffs

A few days before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump had argued that the US tariffs on India had pressured Moscow to seek direct engagement with the US, saying Russia was losing its “second-largest customer”, a claim that India has denied, asserting that its energy trade with Russia continues uninterrupted.