'Waivers standard practice; precedents in UPA era too': Sources

New Delhi: The exemption granted to India for purchasing crude oil from Russia, despite ongoing western sanctions, is a repetition of diplomatic precedent, with waivers long being part of statecraft, especially when it comes to strategic issues like energy and security.

The current waiver will allow India to maintain energy security in a volatile market, with Russian oil that is already in transport diverted to meet requirements.

Sources said New Delhi has been extended such diplomatic latitude in the past as well, with several examples spanning different governments in power at the centre.


In 2012 and 2013, under the UPA government, the US granted similar relief for India's oil imports from Iran. At the time, Washington was tightening sanctions against Tehran under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but India, along with others like South Korea, Malaysia and Turkey, received exemptions after demonstrating a "significant reduction" in Iranian crude purchases.

The waivers, announced by then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, allowed these countries to continue limited trade while protecting their financial institutions from US sanctions. In June 2012, Clinton's statement specifically named India among the seven economies that had qualified for such exceptions, recognising their efforts to lessen dependence on Iranian oil. The following year, the US extended the waiver again, acknowledging further cuts by India and others.

During negotiations for the nuclear deal by the UPA government as well, exemptions were granted to India. Under the 123 civil nuclear deal, India received one-of-a-kind exemptions that allowed full-fledged nuclear trade despite remaining outside the NPT, with the Nuclear Suppliers Group creating a special status for New Delhi.

A decade later, Russia has emerged as the prime target of western sanctions but the underlying principle remains unchanged. Major powers maintain flexibility when energy security intersects with geopolitical interests.

New Delhi: The exemption granted to India for purchasing crude oil from Russia, despite ongoing western sanctions, is a repetition of diplomatic precedent, with waivers long being part of statecraft, especially when it comes to strategic issues like energy and security.

The current waiver will allow India to maintain energy security in a volatile market, with Russian oil that is already in transport diverted to meet requirements.

Sources said New Delhi has been extended such diplomatic latitude in the past as well, with several examples spanning different governments in power at the centre.

In 2012 and 2013, under the UPA government, the US granted similar relief for India's oil imports from Iran. At the time, Washington was tightening sanctions against Tehran under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but India, along with others like South Korea, Malaysia and Turkey, received exemptions after demonstrating a "significant reduction" in Iranian crude purchases.

The waivers, announced by then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, allowed these countries to continue limited trade while protecting their financial institutions from US sanctions. In June 2012, Clinton's statement specifically named India among the seven economies that had qualified for such exceptions, recognising their efforts to lessen dependence on Iranian oil. The following year, the US extended the waiver again, acknowledging further cuts by India and others.

During negotiations for the nuclear deal by the UPA government as well, exemptions were granted to India. Under the 123 civil nuclear deal, India received one-of-a-kind exemptions that allowed full-fledged nuclear trade despite remaining outside the NPT, with the Nuclear Suppliers Group creating a special status for New Delhi.

A decade later, Russia has emerged as the prime target of western sanctions but the underlying principle remains unchanged. Major powers maintain flexibility when energy security intersects with geopolitical interests.