No Room for Double Standards in Global Energy Sanctions

19/07/2025

India has rightly voiced its objection to the European Union's (EU) latest sanctions on Russia, specifically highlighting concerns over unilateral punitive measures that implicate Indian infrastructure. The inclusion of the Vadinar refinery-partly owned by Russian energy giant Rosneft-in the EU's 18th sanctions package targeting Russian oil exports, underscores a troubling trend of geopolitical overreach that risks undermining sovereign economic decisions. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson RandhirJaiswal succinctly stated that "India does not subscribe to any unilateral sanction measures." This principled stance reflects New Delhi's consistent policy of non-alignment and pragmatic diplomacy, especially in the realm of energy security. As the world's most populous country and a growing economy, India's primary obligation is to ensure affordable and uninterrupted energy access for its citizens. In such a context, targeting a refinery within Indian territory-because of its stakeholding pattern-is a move that disregards the sovereignty of nations and the complexities of global trade interdependence.
The EU's decision to sanction parts of the so-called "shadow fleet" and to lower the oil price cap on Russian crude is, from its standpoint, a response to continued Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, expecting non-EU countries like India to automatically align with such sanctions without multilateral consensus or United Nations mandates is both unrealistic and unfair. The international community must distinguish between coercive alignment and cooperative diplomacy. Moreover, the imposition of sanctions should not operate on selective morality. While European nations themselves continue to adjust and import energy from alternative sources to safeguard their own economies, they must not penalize developing nations like India for doing the same. Energy security is not a luxury; it is a necessity. For millions of Indians, stable fuel prices translate to access to transport, electricity, food production, and basic livelihood.
The MEA's response also called out the "double standards" in global energy policy-a charge that is both timely and valid. Several Western countries maintained or adapted their own trade relationships with Russia in the early stages of the Ukraine conflict. Sanctioning Indian infrastructure now, when it is striving to responsibly diversify its energy sources and meet developmental goals, reeks of hypocrisy. India has made clear that it adheres to its international legal obligations. Yet, it cannot be expected to forgo its strategic interests or domestic priorities to comply with foreign policy decisions made in Brussels or Washington without due consultation. If the EU wishes to enlist India as a partner in shaping a rules-based global order, it must do so through dialogue, not by diktat.
In a multipolar world, multilateralism and mutual respect must be the foundation of international action-not pressure tactics or unilateral sanctions. India's call for fairness is not just a defense of its own interests-it is a demand for equity and consistency in global governance. The world would do well to listen.

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