India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has warned that sanctions, attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping chokepoints are making global oil markets less predictable, threatening affordability and access to essential fuels including LPG. He made the remarks at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta on Friday, amid disruptions to energy supplies from West Asia and changes in restrictions affecting Russian diesel and Iranian oil.
Jaishankar said the world was facing an energy crisis driven not by a lack of production but by unpredictability, disruption, unaffordable costs and uneven access. In a post on X, he described deliberate attacks on energy trade and infrastructure as a calculated strategy to hold energy prices hostage.
The minister said the G20 needed to show both understanding and leadership to keep energy markets open and predictable. The meeting was convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Jaishankar said distortions in energy markets caused by obstacles, sanctions and chokepoints were occurring with increasing frequency, complexity and impact. He also said that insufficient attention was being paid to the difficulties faced by low-income countries as energy disruptions spread through global markets.
The minister questioned distinctions being drawn between oil and gas, and said selective exemptions from restrictions were significant. He also cautioned that the knock-on effects and mutual dependence created by globalised energy markets should not be underestimated.
For India, Jaishankar specifically reaffirmed the importance of reliable and predictable LPG supplies for clean cooking. LPG is a key household fuel, and interruptions or sharp price movements can affect household budgets and access to cooking energy, although the minister’s remarks did not specify any immediate change to domestic supplies or prices.
Jaishankar also highlighted India’s National Mission on critical minerals, which covers activities from exploration to recycling. He said India had proposed a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, linking resource security with the recovery and reuse of strategic materials.
The minister called for wider access to finance and progress in energy-related areas including storage, small modular reactors, green hydrogen and biofuels. His comments placed energy security alongside the resilience of infrastructure, supply chains and emerging technologies.
The remarks came as the G20 meeting considered the wider effects of disruptions in global energy trade. No specific new G20 measure or implementation timeline was announced in the supplied statement. The immediate next step is continued discussion among member countries on maintaining open and predictable energy markets, expanding access to finance and advancing the initiatives identified by India.
