India cannot refuse oil supplies from Russia, despite anti-Russian sanctions from Western countries, Columnist Charu Sudan Kasturi said in an article for Foreign Policy, Report informs.
The energy sectors of the two states are too tightly linked by mutual investments. India continues to buy large volumes of energy resources from Russia, Kasturi said.
According to him, India still continues to buy oil, despite the fact that a number of Western leaders are trying to persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop imports. However, maintaining a stable flow of oil from Russia is in the interests of the Indian side.
He quoted analyst and ex-Chevron CEO Edward Chow as saying that India would defend its energy needs whether Western countries like it or not.