A few days after Pakistan placed the order, the Biden administration said that it wouldn’t protest Pakistan’s discounted purchase of Russian oil.
Each nation has the freedom to determine its own energy supply policies, a US State Department official said to reporters in Washington when asked to comment on Pakistan’s choice.
Vedant Patel, the chief deputy spokesman for the department, said that the US had permitted such purchases by restricting Russian oil following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Mr. Patel explained:
“One of the reasons that the United States, through the G7, has been a big proponent of the price cap is to ensure that steps are not being taken to keep Russian energy off the market because we understand that there is a demand for supply.”
Pakistan is able to buy Russian oil at a discount even though it hasn’t ratified a Washington-backed deal on price caps for Russian petroleum products, according to earlier briefings from the United States.
Mr. Patel warned:
“But we also need to take steps to ensure that Russian energy markets are not turning out to be a windfall for [President] Putin’s war machine.”
He further Added:
“And so, again, countries will make their own sovereign decisions. We have never tried to keep Russian energy off the market.”
Russian Crude Oil Order
Pakistan has placed an order for the first shipment of discounted Russian crude oil.
The order will reach the port of Karachi in May.
According to the deal agreed between Moscow and Islamabad, Pakistan would only buy crude oil and not processed fuels.
Pakistan will import up to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) if the initial transaction is successful.
With the redirection of oil from Western markets due to constraints, this agreement provides Russia with a new market to complement its expanding sales to China and India.
Vedant Patel told Islamabad that any assets or weapons left behind by the US following its exit from Afghanistan were no longer operational when asked about the potential of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gaining them.
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