Jaishankar Urges Countries to Avoid Disruptions to Global Oil Supplies

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has strongly criticised sanctions and attempts to block key energy transportation routes, warning that such actions disrupt global oil supplies. He said some countries were deliberately targeting energy trade to keep prices under their control. According to Jaishankar, the current global oil crisis is not caused by a shortage of production but by uncertainty, supply disruptions, unaffordable prices and challenges in availability. He made these remarks while addressing a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. His comments come amid US sanctions on Iranian oil sales, disruptions to energy supplies from West Asia and restrictions affecting Russian diesel sales.

Jaishankar stressed that the principle of interdependence in international markets should not be underestimated. He highlighted India's need for reliable LPG supplies to meet household cooking requirements and urged G20 nations to diversify energy resources while promoting small modular reactors, green hydrogen and biofuels. He also maintained that military action cannot provide lasting solutions to ongoing challenges and called for diplomacy to resolve disputes. Expressing concern over attacks on ships and sailors along crucial energy transportation routes, he emphasised the need to protect freedom of navigation and stop such attacks in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He warned that these disruptions could also threaten the availability of food and fertilisers, apart from energy supplies.