UK wants every country to ‘move away’ from Russian oil: PM Johnson’s spokesperson

London, Mar 16 (PTI) The UK wants every country to move away from using Russian oil and gas because it directly funds President Vladimir Putin’s war machine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Asked about India’s proposed move to purchase crude oil from Russia, the spokesperson said the UK Prime Minister respects every country’s individual position but wants to broaden the coalition of countries against the Russian President’s actions in Ukraine. The Indian Parliament was informed this week of ongoing talks “at the appropriate level of the Russian Federation” over the potential purchase of crude oil.

“The Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] would want every country to move away from using Russian oil and gas,” the spokesperson told PTI at a Downing Street briefing. “It is the funding that the Putin regime receives largely through oil and gas that directly goes towards funding the Russian war machine. Everyone needs to be conscious of that,” the spokesperson said. “We understand the position for individual countries is different, each country is in a different position and we respect that. But certainly, the Prime Minister wants to broaden the coalition of countries even further, so that everyone is united not just in condemnation but in action [against Putin],” the spokesperson added.

It comes as Johnson is holding talks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE on a visit to the region, with a declared mission to build an international coalition against Russia and wean off dependence on its oil and gas exports in protest against the conflict with Ukraine. He has said that countries needed to “avoid being blackmailed” by Putin by weaning off Russia’s fossil fuels and exploring other partnerships.

“The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face. The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin’s addiction to oil and gas. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort,” he said, ahead of his visit to the Middle East.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday that India taking up Russia’s offer of discounted crude oil would not be a violation of American sanctions on Moscow. At the same time, she also underlined that countries should also think about “where you want to stand” amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Asked about reports on the possibility that India could take up the Russian offer of discounted crude oil, Psaki said, “I don’t believe this would be violating that (sanctions).” “But also think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact,” Psaki added.

On Tuesday, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament that discussions are “currently underway” on how much oil may be available from Russia. The West has imposed tough sanctions on Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict last month, including its exclusion from the SWIFT banking network – a measure aimed at hitting Russian oil and gas exports hard.

In a statement last week that indicated Russia turning towards India in the face of western sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia’s oil and petroleum product exports to India have approached USD 1 billion and there are “clear opportunities to increase this figure”.

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