"Think where you stand" said the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on India taking up Russia's offer of discounted crude oil.

"Our message to any country continues to be that abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended, however it will not be violation of American sanctions."

"But also think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact," Psaki said after she was asked about a report on the possibility that India could take up the Russian offer of discounted crude oil. "Our message to any country would be abide by the sanctions," she said.

India has not supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has consistently asked all stakeholders to resolve differences through dialogue. It has, however, abstained in all United Nations resolutions against Russia.

Officials of the Biden administration have shown an understanding of India's position and have told lawmakers that New Delhi has a major dependence on Russian military supplies for its national security.

"Our message to any country continues to be that abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended," Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday.

India is close to clinching a deal with Russia for buying 3.5 million barrels of its crude at “deep discounts”, people aware of the development told TOI.

The broad contours of the deal indicate Russia will take care of shipping and insurance for delivering the crude to India. This will overcome a major hurdle for Indian refiners in buying Russian crude.