By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the United States cannot stop Pakistan from purchasing Russian oil and it will be possible to finalise a deal with Moscow very soon.
The finance minister made these remarks at a meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) workers in Dubai.
“In the next few months, you will see that the government will take important steps in favour of Pakistan in this regard,” the minister said.
The Group of Seven richest economies has been trying to enforce a price-capping mechanism on Russian oil exports by December 5, when European Union sanctions banning seaborne imports of Russian crude come into force.
Dar, during his visit to the US last month, had a meeting with the officials of the US State Department in which the matter of oil purchase from Russia was discussed.
“I told the American authorities that Washington could not refrain from buying the commodity from Russia because neighbouring India has also been doing the same.”
The minister had previously said the country was ready to buy fuel from Russia if the same rate that India was paying is applicable to Pakistan as well.
The United States last week said it is happy for India to continue buying as much Russian oil as it wants, including at prices above a G7-imposed price cap mechanism, if it steers clear of Western insurance, finance, and maritime services bound by the cap.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said India and private Indian oil companies “can also purchase oil at any price they want as long as they don’t use these Western services and they find other services. And either way is fine.”
India is now Russia’s largest oil customer other than China.
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