Comfortable near $70-a-barrel crude

The current situation is good; if it comes down from $73-74 per barrel, it's even better. Hardeep Singh Puri Union minister for petroleum and natural gas

- Rituraj Baruah & Utpal Bhaskar

Mid uncertainties in the energy market in the past few years due to global tensions, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, said there is a need to ensure predictability and stability in the oil market. At a time of persistent output cuts by the OPEC+ grouping, Puri said no single country can drive prices independently in the current scenario. Edited excerpts:

In the current geopolitical scenario with narrowing discounts from Russia, how is India placed vis-a-vis Russia, which has emerged as the top supplier due to its initial deep discounts?