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India-Russia-China Up & US Relations Down

Well it sounds good and is full of righteousness indignation.
Yet India is full bore ahead on Russian oil imports.

So it goes back to my past question. India seems to be fine making short term market choices vs working with a strategic economic and military partner to bring an end to a 3 1/2 year war in Ukraine. One that involves nuclear powers and resulting in well over a million casualties.

And yes I’ve called out Europe on they’re imports as well.
And US uranium imports from Russia would have never been a thing if not for the radical environmentalists lobby in the US. Which the US has halved in last two years.


That and that pesky little thing of letting Rostom by controlling ownership in the company which mined US uranium.

Imagine allowing the Russian state uranium producer by controlling interest in the company which controlled US uranium mining.
Hum? When was that 2010?
And look what happened to US uranium production within the next three years.

Maybe the next time Pakistan, LeT, and TRF are feeling froggy the US just stays out of it.
There is no real market advantage for us to get involved in conflicts between Pakistan and India after all.
 
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Well it sounds good and is full of righteousness indignation.
Yet India is full bore ahead on Russian oil imports.

So it goes back to my past question. India seems to be fine making short term market choices vs working with a strategic economic and military partner to bring an end to a 3 1/2 year war in Ukraine. One that involves nuclear powers and resulting in well over a million casualties.

And yes I’ve called out Europe on they’re imports as well.
And US uranium imports from Russia would have never been a thing if not for the radical environmentalists lobby in the US. Which the US has halved in last two years.


That and that pesky little thing of letting Rostom by controlling ownership in the company which mined US uranium.

Imagine allowing the Russian state uranium producer by controlling interest in the company which controlled US uranium mining.
Hum? When was that 2010?
And look what happened to US uranium production within the next three years.

Maybe the next time Pakistan, LeT, and TRF are feeling froggy the US just stays out of it.
There is no real market advantage for us to get involved in conflicts between Pakistan and India after all.
India’s continued imports of Russian oil are driven by economic pragmatism, not a dismissal of the Ukraine conflict or a lack of interest in global stability. Since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, India’s oil imports from Russia surged from 0.2% to over 35% of its total crude intake, making Russia its top supplier. This shift wasn’t a strategic snub to the West but a response to global market disruptions. Traditional Middle Eastern suppliers redirected their oil to Europe after Western sanctions on Russia, leaving India to secure affordable energy for its 1.4 billion people.

The U.S. itself encouraged India to buy Russian oil early in the conflict to stabilize global energy markets, as confirmed by former U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti and then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. At the time, this was seen as a way to prevent oil prices from spiking to $130 per barrel, which would have harmed global economies, including the U.S. India’s actions aligned with this advice, ensuring affordable fuel for its consumers while keeping global prices in check. To now penalize India with a 50% tariff while sparing other major Russian oil importers like China feels like a selective application of pressure that undermines the spirit of strategic partnership.

Slapping India with a 50% tariff while sparing China’s $49.45 billion in Russian oil imports and the EU’s €67.5 billion trade reeks of hypocrisy and undermines the U.S.-India partnership. This selective punishment ignores India’s role as a counterweight to China and its need for affordable energy.

The U.S. isn’t clean here either. It still imports Russian uranium and palladium, due to policy failures like the 2010 Uranium One deal that gutted U.S. production that you mentioned. Criticizing India while ignoring its own reliance on Russia is inconsistent and erodes trust. India’s non-alignment on Ukraine reflects its defense ties with Russia, not support for the war’s devastation. Tariffs won’t end the conflict but could tank a vital alliance.

To fix this, the U.S. must apply tariffs uniformly, respect India’s economic constraints, and prioritize shared goals like countering China. Disengaging from India-Pakistan tensions risks regional instability, which serves no one. Drop the double standards, and strengthen the partnership. Don’t let shortsighted policies derail decades of progress.
 
You know, your last point - that has always been India’s position, actually. That Kashmir be a bilateral issue only. The only problem is that if nobody intervenes between India and Pakistan, you get nuclear war. It’s in everyone’s interests to prevent that :)
 
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Former US Ambassador Nikki Haley has warned Donald Trump that spoiling relations with India would be a big mistake. In her article written in a magazine, she said that India is the fastest growing major economy in the world and it can play an important role in stopping the dominance of China. Haley stressed that damaging the friendship built between India and America in the last 25 years would be a strategic disaster.
 
Let me explain what happens if India stops buying Russian oil.

1) The Russians give the Chinese more discounts to secure one customer. China takes our share of the oil at bargain prices.
2) India turns to the Middle East to fulfil its oil needs. Now, India must compete with Europe. What happens when demand increases and supply remains the same? Prices go UP.
3) India and Europe end up paying a lot more for oil, as demand would go up by 30-40% (we're the third largest consumer of oil).
4) Russia still gets paid, albeit a little less due to discounts for China, and the Chinese end up laughing their way to the bank by securing large amounts of cheap oil & supercharging their economy.

Who wins here? China & Russia. Who loses? India & Europe
 
India funding the war in Ukraine is a super flawed concept. We buy the oil and do payments in rupees, a currency only we recognise as a legal tender. This means that Russia uses those rupees and invests those back into india as Russia doesn't have a need to buy Indian goods, nor does India produce any important goods which Russia would need. The main argument is that Russia uses those profits to fund its factories ,which produce weapons - but this simply doesn't make sense. All that happens is Russia invests our own money back into our economy.

China is a bigger buyer of Russian oil, the U.S. isn't doing much against China currently because they can't without taking a very major hit. There isn't a replacement available for Chinese goods either. It is using the tariff (sanction apparently) tactics to bully the smaller opponent, and they are specifically targeting the industries which can be replaced by the surrounding countries and would harm a major source of employment for the Indian people.
 
You know, your last point - that has always been India’s position, actually. That Kashmir be a bilateral issue only. The only problem is that if nobody intervenes between India and Pakistan, you get nuclear war. It’s in everyone’s interests to prevent that :)
It might be that India should consider being a little less economically pragmatic regarding Russian oil and the war in Ukraine.
After all it too involves not just two nuclear powers. But potentially four in Europe.

what appears to be a pragmatic course in the short run does turn out to be a pragmatic long term course of action.
 
It might be that India should consider being a little less economically pragmatic regarding Russian oil and the war in Ukraine.
After all it too involves not just two nuclear powers. But potentially four in Europe.

what appears to be a pragmatic course in the short run does turn out to be a pragmatic long term course of action.
I feel like my two posts above already address this ^
 
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