NEW DELHI: The Centre told parliamentarians on Monday that US penalties on Indian imports because of purchase of oil from Russia is “regrettable” and “India is being drawn into a geopolitical contest that is neither of its making nor one in which it seeks to take sides”, reports Subodh Ghildiyal.The display of the neutral hand in the Russia-Ukraine war to rebuff the logic behind the US penalty tariffs came from the foreign ministry, while foreign secretary Vikram Misri and commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal briefed the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs about “the Indo-US trade negotiations and tariffs”.The MEA told the panel that US decision on penalties is based on flawed assumptions and does not reflect the realities of global energy markets or India’s sovereign choices. While it said the imposition of unilateral punitive measures on third countries erodes trust and distorts global trade norms, the ministry said US decision is reflective of “unfortunate persistence of double standards in some quarters of the international community”.