India, Russia, and the West’s Double Standards
By Sanjeev Oak
Washington’s criticism of India’s Russian oil and arms imports reeks of double standards. While the U.S. quietly buys Russian goods to shield its economy, India’s purchases not only stabilize global energy markets but also save billions through rupee-based trade.
When it comes to geopolitics, the debate over Russian oil and arms imports has become a convenient tool for selective outrage. Former U.S. trade czar Peter Navarro’s sharp criticism of India for continuing its energy and defence engagements with Moscow is the latest reminder of how Washington often applies different yardsticks to its own interests and those of others.
What Navarro overlooked, or perhaps chose to ignore, is the pragmatic balancing that India has employed in its Russian policy. The reality is that India’s imports of discounted Russian oil have not only secured the nation’s energy needs but also indirectly cushioned global markets against runaway inflation. Ironically, while the U.S. itself continues to import select commodities and critical materials from Russia—albeit through indirect routes—it chooses to lambast India for pursuing the same strategy.
“When Washington imports Russian commodities quietly, it calls it strategy. When India buys oil openly, it is branded opportunism.”
The American Exception
The United States has never hesitated to adapt its trade rules when national interest demands it. Even in the wake of sanctions on Moscow, American businesses have continued importing key products like enriched uranium from Russia to power nuclear reactors. Agricultural commodities and fertilizers, too, find backdoors into U.S. supply chains.
But when India buys discounted Russian crude—often re-exported globally after refining—the finger-pointing begins. The narrative becomes one of India “funding Putin’s war,” ignoring the obvious reality that every barrel India absorbs reduces the price shock on international markets.
This duality is not new. It was evident even in the Cold War era, when Washington actively pursued détente with Moscow while urging allies to isolate the Soviet Union. Today’s version is simply more transparent: the U.S. bends the rules when it suits its economy, but demands moral purity from partners like India.
India’s Strategic Cushion
India’s engagement with Russian oil is not ideological; it is economic necessity. With a population of 1.4 billion and a rapidly expanding middle class, India cannot afford energy shocks. Buying Russian crude at discounts has allowed New Delhi to stabilize fuel prices domestically and keep inflation within manageable limits.
“India’s decision to buy Russian oil was less about geopolitics and more about protecting its citizens from global price volatility.”
The impact has been significant. By settling a portion of trade in rupees with Moscow, India has also reduced its dependence on the dollar. This shift has saved billions in foreign exchange outflow, strengthening India’s macroeconomic fundamentals.
Had India refused Russian energy, the result would have been higher demand for Middle Eastern supplies, driving global prices up and hurting consumers in Europe and Asia alike. In that sense, India’s oil diplomacy has indirectly shielded Western economies too—though few in Washington will admit it.
Inflation Control and Global Stability
The war in Ukraine disrupted supply chains and sent energy markets into turmoil. Europe faced an existential energy crisis, scrambling to replace Russian pipelines with expensive liquefied natural gas. Inflation soared on both sides of the Atlantic.
India’s intervention in the oil market, by consistently buying and stabilizing flows from Russia, helped prevent a total price collapse of the global system. Cheaper refined products exported from India to Europe softened the blow for households in Germany, France, and beyond.
“Ironically, the very Russian oil that Washington criticizes India for buying often returns to European markets in the form of refined Indian exports.”
This circular logic exposes the hypocrisy of the criticism. Western economies are happy to benefit indirectly from India’s pragmatism, but unwilling to publicly acknowledge it.
Beyond Oil: Strategic Autonomy
Navarro’s criticism also extended to India’s defence partnership with Moscow. Here again, Washington misses the larger context. Over 60% of India’s defence hardware has Russian origins. Abruptly cutting this supply line would not just weaken India’s security but destabilize the broader balance of power in Asia.
India is already diversifying its defence procurements, increasing purchases from the U.S., France, and Israel. But strategic autonomy demands a gradual, not sudden, transition. By maintaining its traditional ties with Russia while engaging closely with Washington, New Delhi has demonstrated an ability to balance competing alliances without succumbing to external diktats.
India’s Balancing Act
The bigger picture here is India’s rise as a pole of stability in an uncertain world. Whether through the G20 presidency, its active role in BRICS, or its outreach to the Quad, India has made clear that it will not be boxed into any single camp.
Engaging Russia for energy and defence does not mean endorsing its actions in Ukraine. It simply reflects the reality of India’s needs. Washington, with its history of sanctions evasion and backroom deals, should be the last to lecture others.
“India is not choosing Moscow over Washington. It is choosing New Delhi over both.”
That independence of thought is precisely why India commands respect across the Global South and why its partnerships—from Washington to Moscow to Tokyo—remain intact despite sharp contradictions.
Calling Out the Hypocrisy
The debate over Russian oil imports is less about economics and more about narratives. The U.S. wants to retain moral high ground while quietly protecting its own interests. India, by contrast, has been transparent about its choices, even when they invite criticism.
In the end, it is India’s model of pragmatic diplomacy—prioritizing citizens’ welfare, stabilizing global markets, and safeguarding sovereignty—that stands vindicated. The world needs to acknowledge that without India’s steady hand on Russian energy, the inflation storm of 2022–24 would have been far worse.
The real double standard is not India’s oil diplomacy—it is Washington’s inability to admit that sometimes, New Delhi’s choices serve the world better than America’s own.