Western Hypocrisy on Display: India Calls Out Double Standards in Global Trade

India has rebuked the US and EU for criticizing its Russian oil trade, highlighting Western hypocrisy in maintaining substantial trade ties with Moscow. Despite public condemnation of Russia, the EU imported €67.5 billion in goods, including record LNG, in 2024, while the US relied on Russian palladium and fertilisers. India justifies its imports as economic necessity amid global energy shifts post-Ukraine war. This stance mirrors broader Global South frustration with Western double standards, demanding consistency over selective moral posturing.

India has issued a forceful retort to the United States and European Union over what it perceives as a widening gap between Western rhetoric and actions. In a strongly worded statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed criticism of India’s energy trade with Russia, accusing Western powers of blatant hypocrisy in their own dealings with Moscow.

At the heart of this dispute lies the selective outrage of Western nations, whose trade statistics reveal a stark contrast to their public posturing on Russia.

The Energy Dynamics: Shifting Sands Since 2022

Following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Europe—once heavily reliant on Russian energy—turned to the Middle East for its energy needs. This shift squeezed India out of its traditional supplier markets. Ironically, during this period, the United States had encouraged India to purchase Russian oil to stabilize global markets and curb Moscow's leverage over Europe.

Fast forward to today, the same Western powers seem to have conveniently forgotten their earlier stance, despite data painting a clear picture of ongoing trade ties with Russia.

The EU’s Persistent Dependence on Russian Goods

Despite lofty declarations about reducing dependency on Russian energy, the European Union's trade numbers tell a different story. In 2024 alone, the EU’s trade in goods with Russia amounted to €67.5 billion, with services trade reaching €17.2 billion in 2023.

While the EU touts its commitment to “energy decoupling,” it imported a record-breaking 16.5 million tonnes of Russian LNG in 2024—surpassing its 2022 imports, even as the war raged on. Other items such as fertilisers, chemicals, iron, and steel continued to flow into Europe.

Key figures from 2024 include:

• Over €2.5 billion worth of Russian fertilisers.

• €1.9 billion in iron and steel imports.

• Russian LNG making up approximately 15% of the EU’s energy mix.

While the EU describes these imports as a “painful necessity,” such allowances starkly contrast with the moral high ground it often claims.

The US’s Quiet Reliance on Russian Inputs

Even as Washington critiques India’s energy trade, its own dependence on Russian imports remains significant. Examples from 2024-25 show a striking reliance on Russian goods:

• Uranium Hexafluoride: Essential for US nuclear reactors, sourced from Russia.

• Palladium: With Russia accounting for 35% of US imports in 2024, over 500,000 troy ounces were imported in the first five months of 2025 alone.

• Fertilisers: $1.3 billion worth of Russian fertilisers were imported in 2024, representing roughly 15% of US fertiliser imports.

• Other Goods: $876.5 million in non-ferrous metals and $683 million in inorganic chemicals.

These imports are not trivial but vital to sustaining American food production, manufacturing, and energy sectors. Particularly in the case of palladium, the metal is indispensable for the thriving electric vehicle (EV) industry, highlighting strategic dependencies that clash with the US’s public stance.

India’s Economic Realities and Sovereignty

India’s pivot to Russian oil stems from necessity rather than opportunism. Post-2022, as Gulf energy supplies shifted to Europe, India sought Russian crude for its affordability and reliability. With Russian oil priced up to $30 less per barrel than Brent in early 2023-24, India managed to curb inflation and maintain economic stability.

In 2024, India imported 1.7 million barrels of oil per day from Russia—a figure modest compared to the EU’s indirect imports through grey channels, such as shadow tankers and intermediaries like Turkey and Kazakhstan.

India continues to diversify its energy portfolio, forging stronger ties with Africa and Latin America. However, expecting India to abandon Russian energy while the West sustains its own flows is a demand that ignores economic realities and global inequities.

A Broader Global South Pushback

India’s defiance reflects a growing frustration in the Global South with Western nations’ lectures on morality that are not supported by their actions. Developing nations, India asserts, should not be subjected to sacrifices that wealthier countries refuse to undertake themselves.

India’s stance is not an endorsement of Russia’s actions in Ukraine but a defense of its sovereign right to economic stability amid turbulent global energy politics.

Until the US and EU conduct an honest audit of their own trade dependencies, their criticisms of India ring hollow. Western nations must reconcile their actions with their words if they wish to claim moral leadership in global affairs.

In this era of geopolitical virtue signaling, the true moral deficit lies not with India but with those who selectively point fingers while quietly filling their shopping carts with Russian goods.