The United States has said that Pakistan’s purchase of Russian oil is its own sovereign decision as it relates to its energy supply.
In the weekly press briefing, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel while responding to a question about Pakistan’s purchase of Russian oil said on Tuesday that each country is going to make its own sovereign decisions as it relates to its energy supply.
“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,” Patel said.
“But we also need to take steps to ensure that Russians – Russian energy markets are not turning out to be a windfall for Putin’s war machine. And so, again, countries will make their own sovereign decisions. We have never tried to keep Russian energy off the market,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan recently placed its first order for discounted Russian crude with one cargo scheduled to arrive at Karachi port in May.
Pakistan will purchase crude oil only and not refined fuels, and imports are expected to go as high as 100,000 barrels per day if the first transaction goes smoothly.
Source: Pro Pakistani