India rejects EU's 'unilateral sanctions' move against Russia, cites energy security as top priority

Randhir Jaiswal MEA

India's Ministry of External Affairs on Friday lodged its protest against the European Union's (EU) move to sanction Russia

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement in post on X, "We have noted the latest sanctions announced by the European Union. India does not subscribe to any unilateral sanction measures. We are a responsible actor and remain fully committed to our legal obligations."

"Government of India considers the provision of energy security a responsibility of paramount importance to meet the basic needs of its citizens. We would stress that there should be no double standards, especially when it comes to energy trade," the statement said.

Our response to media queries regarding recent EU sanctions pic.twitter.com/8iQL53VJam

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 18, 2025

The European Union on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including measures aimed at dealing further blows to the Russian oil and energy industry.

The EU will set a moving price cap on Russian crude at 15% below its average market price, EU diplomats said, aiming to improve on a largely ineffective $60 cap that the Group of Seven major economies have tried to impose since December 2022.

"The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X. "We will keep raising the costs, so stopping the aggression becomes the only path forward for Moscow."

Britain also announced it would join the price cap move, saying it would deal a blow to Moscow's oil revenues used to finance the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

"The UK and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin's war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further," British finance minister Rachel Reeves said at a G20 meeting in South Africa.