New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) The government, as per sources, has said that India's "legitimate" energy transactions should not be politicised and those countries who have oil self-sufficiency or even those who are importing from Russia cannot advocate restrictive trading.According to the sources, the government's response came in the backdrop of western countries, led by the US, imposing sanctions on Russia and "indirectly imposing pressure" on New Delhi to restrict trade with Moscow to condemn its military actions on Ukraine.This comes after the government run Indian Oil Corporation purchased three million barrels of Russian crude oil last week, which was offered at a steep discount to the prevailing international rates. The US has stated that India would not be violating US sanctions by purchasing discounted Russian oil, however "such a move would be equal to supporting Moscow's aggression in Ukraine".The government sources said that India has not supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine and asked all stakeholders to resolve differences through dialogue in this regard.The sources also said that a steep increase in crude oil price after the Russia -Ukraine war has posed challenges before the government, however, there is no government to government arrangement for import from Russia.
--IANS ams/shs
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