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'Sanctions don't prohibit': Former Trump NSA John Bolton on India buying Russian oil
In an interview with HT, Bolton said the sanctions the West put on Russia don't prohibit buying oil at the capped price and selling elsewhere at higher amount.
US President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser (NSA) John Bolton has said that the sanctions put on Russia don't prohibit India from buying Moscow's oil, criticising the US decision of punitive tariffs on New Delhi.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Bolton said the sanctions the West put on Russia don't prohibit buying oil at the capped price and selling it elsewhere at a higher amount. According to him, if that is the complaint, then the sanctions are at fault, not New Delhi.
“The complaint is that India took some of the gasoline it was buying from Russia, perhaps refined it and sold it internationally. That’s a complaint worth discussing. But the sanctions, as written, do not preclude anyone, including India, from buying Russian oil at the capped price, or below $60/barrel, and then selling it elsewhere. If that’s the complaint, the complaint lies with the sanctions, not so much with India’s behaviour,” Bolton told HT.
John Bolton said the price cap exists because the US didn't want energy prices to shoot up. He said if Washington doesn't like what India is doing, then they should change the sanctions.
“The right action from the sanctions point of view is to say it's prohibited to buy any Russian oil. If you don't like what India has done, then amend the sanctions and say that no purchase of Russian oil permissible under these sanctions can be sold elsewhere at a higher price. Then, if India had violated that part of the sanctions, then it would be a different conversation. But the sanctions don't prohibit what India did,” the former NSA added.
John Bolton calls Donald Trump's India policy “confused”
John Bolton criticised Donald Trump's policies towards India, calling it “confused”, questioning the 25% penalty on India for purchasing Russian energy while China faces no sanctions.
Bolton acknowledged that the India-US relationship is, for the time being, in “a very bad place” and believes Trump is an “aberrational president.” He stressed the need for efforts to limit damage to bilateral ties for the US President’s remaining term.
