'Switch off our economy?' High commissioner to UK schools Western journalist on Russian oil; Doraiswami says Europe buys from same source it denies India

NEW DELHI: Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami schooled the Western journalist over criticising India's oil imports from Russia and said that the New Delhi is the third largest consumer of energy in the world and imports over 80% of its products. "What would you have us do? Switch off our economy?" he asked.

Speaking to British radio station, Times Radio, last week, pointed out the irony and said that many of the European countries are continuing to buy rare earth and other energy products, not oil, perhaps, but from the same countries that they're refusing to let India buy from.

Asked about India's "closeness" with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, Indian high commissioner said, "We have a relationship that is based on a number of metrics. One of these is our long standing security relationship that goes back to an era in which some of our Western partners wouldn't sell us weapons, but would sell it to countries in our neighborhood that use them only to attack us. Second, we have an energy relationship today which is a result of everybody else buying energy from sources that we used to earlier buy from. So we've been displaced out of the energy market largely and the cost have gone up. These are we are the third largest consumer of energy in the world and we import over 80% of our product. What would you have us do? Switch off our economy?"

😂🇮🇳 INDIAN DIPLOMAT SCHOOLS WESTERN JOURNALIST

🗣"India is the world’s third-largest energy consumer. We import 80% of our energy. What do you want us to do—switch off our economy?" — Vikram Doraiswami, India’s Ambassador to the UK, pic.twitter.com/VV7rQEi1IX

— Naren Mukherjee (@NMukherjee6) July 28, 2025

"Third, we have, we also see around us relationships that other countries maintain for their own convenience with countries that are a source of difficulty for us. Do we ask you to come up with a little test of loyalty? " he added.

EPIC cringe face of hack exposed in sanctions hypocrisy on 32 seconds?

West 'buys from Russia while refusing to let India buy'

Vikram Doraiswami, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, speaking to Times Radio pic.twitter.com/1BwAw71RRS

— brane mijatovic (@brane_mija64426) July 27, 2025

Replying to question whether EU sanctions' on Russian oil impacted Indian refinery, Doraiswami pointed out that the India has the fourth largest refiner of energy in the world, and a number of countries in Europe buy refined oil from the nation.

The European Union imposed ban on Russian crude-derived fuels, which will take effect from January 21 next year.

The EU unveiled its newest sanctions against Russia in July, incorporating limitations on fuel imports processed from Russian crude oil.