Kumar Bahukhandi
Trump and Putin have long been at loggerheads over crude oil (AI Photo)
Global politics has heated up again over Russian oil. The US has granted India a temporary exemption amid the Middle East crisis to allow stranded Russian oil to reach the market. Meanwhile, Russia has clarified that data on its supply to India will be kept hidden from “enemies.”
A fresh statement from the US has come out regarding the exemption granted to India to purchase Russian oil. The US has explained the reason for granting the exemption to India. Meanwhile, Russia has clarified that it will not share data on how much oil it supplies to India, stating that it wants to keep it secret from “enemies.”
Russia said on Friday that data related to crude oil exports to India will not be made public, as it will be kept secret from “many enemies and ill-wishers.”
Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s comments came hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said that Washington had granted a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refineries to purchase Russian oil amid the Middle East conflict.
Dmitry Peskov said, “We’re not going to give any data, absolutely not. Because there are too many enemies.” He was asked to comment on reports that Moscow had the capacity to supply 22 million barrels of crude oil a week.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian state TV broadcast a map showing several tankers moving from the Arabian Sea through the Bay of Bengal toward Indian refineries on the east coast.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said his country was ready to increase crude oil supplies to India and China, which have been affected by the near-halt of oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz due to US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks.
America Explains Why India Was Granted a Discount
Why did the US, which has a suspicious eye on Russian oil, grant India a discount? In response, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that in a short-term effort to stabilize global energy supplies amid tensions in the Middle East, “our friends in India have been allowed to refine Russian oil stranded in the seas around South Asia.”
He said, “We have implemented short-term measures to help keep oil prices low. We are allowing our friends in India to pick up oil from ships, refine it, and quickly transport those barrels to market. This is a practical way to streamline supply and ease pressure.”
In a TV interview, Wright stated that oil is abundant and there are no concerns, but it is important to bring oil to market at this time.
(Source-AP)
