While Americans suffer at the pump with record-breaking gas prices, India has been quietly importing oil from Russia at massively discounted prices all thanks to Putin.

India’s imports from Russia have actually more than tripled since its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year largely driven by the purchase of cheap oil, because, unlike America, India knows not to stick its neck in other countries’ business. After all, another man’s gain is another man’s loss.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m sorry for Ukraine, and it’s awful that so many have died from the Russia/Ukraine war, but what America has failed to learn is that it’s just that – RUSSIA AND UKRAINE’S war, not America’s war. India knows this which is why India is laughing at the fact that we’re paying over $7 in California while they pay 160.98 Indian Rupees, the equivalent to $2.

Because of the massive discounts that Russia is giving India, the total value of India’s imports from Russia has skyrocketed to $8.6 billion since February 2022, a sharp uptick from just $2.5 billion during the same period last year, the Times of India reported, citing data from the Indian commerce ministry. Russia is literally fueling its economy and India is thriving because of it.

The importation of oil is also helping to curb India’s high inflation rate, which is still 2% less than America. As India’s inflation remained just above 7%, deep discounts from Russia have offered the world’s third largest importer of oil some relief.

Besides oil, India imported 774,000 metric tons of fertilizers from Russia in the quarter ending in June 2022, more than 20% of its total fertilizer import during this period, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Indian parliament at a time where Western countries claim that Russia has frozen fertilizer exports. Back in March 2022, NPR for Colorado reported that “Russia’s freeze on fertilizer exports is yet another challenge for Mountain West farmers”, however, India continues to import fertilizer in record numbers.

As the war in Ukraine has progressed, India has been careful not to pick sides as it enjoys historic close ties with Russia—its main weapons supplier—and has built a closer security partnership with the United States as it seeks to counter China’s influence on the Indo-Pacific region.

Sure, India has received a great deal of criticism for not sticking its nose in Putin’s business, but at the end of the day, the people are winning because of it, and India is just trying to look out for its people.

As reported by Forbes.com, despite some western criticism India has persistently defended its decision to continue buying Russian oil, pointing to Europe’s dependence on Russian gas imports. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in May, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said: “In the current situation, when inflation is at an all-time high, causing stress to people all over the world, the European Union and other countries in Europe continue to buy far larger quantities than India ever thought of buying or will ever buy.” Goyal also pointed out that India’s purchase in no way violates any sanctions that have been put in place by the West.

Read the full bill here.