India is buying Russian oil, my country’s energy security a priority: Sitharaman

New Delhi, Apr 02: Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has confirmed that India is being oil from Russia at a discount. Speaking to CNBC-TV 18, she said that India had decided to buy Russian oil.

She said that India has bought at least 3 to 4 days of supply. I will put my energy security and my country's interests first. If supply is available at a discount why should I not buy it, she said.

She also said that despite the situation in Ukraine and the drop in gas supplies and crude situation, I am cautiously optimistic. When asked what she would have done had she known the Russia-Ukraine situation before hand, Sitharaman said that she would have utilised the prior knowledge to export wheat and build reserves of sunflower oil.

The knowledge however would have been most useful in evacuating all Indians, especially students in Ukraine she said.