Jaishankar slams ‘unilateral’ sanctions days before expiry of Russian oil purchase waiver

15 MAY 2025

As India awaits the United States’ decision on extending its waiver on sanctions against the import of Russian oil, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hit out at unilateral non-UN sanctions, calling them unjustified.
Delivering the national statement at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting chaired by India, Mr. Jaishankar called on the grouping of emerging economies to address the problem of such sanctions.
Significantly, the meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi representing two of the U.S.’s most heavily sanctioned countries.
Oil imports from Russia have surged despite the fact that Russian crude oil is being sold at a premium of as much as $5 for every barrel to Indian importers. “
In the wake of the war in West Asia, the U.S. had granted month-long waivers for oil imports from Iran and Russia, which India took advantage of.
However, the waiver on Iran lapsed in April 2026, and the waiver on Russia, which was extended, is set to expire on May 16, 2026.
While the NDA government maintains India’s traditional position on not accepting non-UN sanctions, in practice it has complied with a series of sanctions from the U.S. for commercial reasons, including on oil from Iran, Russia and Venezuela, trade with Iran and the development of the Chabahar port.