New Delhi: India on Thursday firmly rejected claims that it has agreed to halt imports of Russian crude oil, reiterating that ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people remains the government’s highest priority.
Responding to remarks made by US President Donald Trump, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India’s energy sourcing decisions are guided solely by national interest and prevailing market conditions.
Addressing a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government has consistently maintained that safeguarding the country’s energy needs is paramount.
“Ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people is the supreme priority of the government,” Jaiswal said, adding that India’s approach focuses on diversifying energy sources in line with objective market realities and evolving global dynamics.
Trump had claimed that India agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil and instead increase imports from the United States and potentially Venezuela following the announcement of the India-US trade agreement. However, no such commitment was mentioned when Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the trade deal.
Clarifying India’s position on Venezuela, Jaiswal said New Delhi remains open to sourcing oil from any country based on commercial viability.
“India has a long-standing partnership with Venezuela, and we remain open to buying oil from Venezuela or other suppliers depending on economic considerations,” he said.
The India-US bilateral trade agreement, announced earlier this week, includes a reduction in tariffs on Indian goods from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the final legal text of the deal is in its concluding stages, a position echoed by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said the agreement is still being finalised.
Russia also reacted to the developments, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying there was no indication that India would alter its energy cooperation with Moscow. She noted that energy trade between the two countries benefits both sides and contributes to global market stability.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov similarly remarked that India has always sourced oil from multiple suppliers and that there was nothing unusual in the current situation.
Separately, Goyal reiterated the government’s stance in Parliament, emphasising that diversification of energy imports is central to India’s strategy and that all decisions are taken with the country’s long-term interests in mind.
The statements come as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on an official visit to the United States to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Jaishankar said discussions during his meetings covered bilateral cooperation as well as global issues including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia and the Ukraine conflict.
At the ministerial meeting, Jaishankar also reaffirmed India’s support for the FORGE (Forum on Resource, Geostrategic Engagement) initiative.
