New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on India, China and Turkey to halt energy trade with Russia, arguing that Moscow relies on these countries to sustain its economy, reported Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
During an interview with WSJ, Zelenskyy said If America, China and India put pressure on Russia, then it will no longer be able to fight the war in Ukraine.
“Russia is blocked, they are basing on economy with India, sometimes with Turkey and with China…and of course if these guys will stop, I mean this trade will stop to buy energy, I mean its understandable that Russia will stop this war just extremely quickly will stop the war if the United States will pressure like they can,” he said.
“If China will pressure like they have to between us like they had alredy and India, it is enough to stop them.”
India’s imports of Russian oil declined 16.5 per cent month-on-month in August to around 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd), according to Reuters. Russia, however, remained India’s largest oil supplier, followed by the UAE and Venezuela.
India stepped up purchases of Russian oil after US-Iran tensions resulted in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. However, Russian oil imports are estimated to fall to 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, Reuters reported citing preliminary data from Kpler.
Zelenskyy said he has sought a “winter package” of additional military equipment from US President Donald Trump, including Patriot air defence systems and other technologies, while expressing confidence that Washington would pursue an agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, WSJ reported.
Additionally, he also said negotiations to end the war aren’t simple because Putin “is not ready,” the report added.
This comes days after US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law.
The legislation gives the US President the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries that meet specified criteria related to purchases of Russian crude oil or natural gas and sanctions evasion, potentially covering major buyers such as India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
However, it should be noted that the measure does not automatically impose a 100 per cent tariff on any specific country. (ANI)
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