“It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” the Foreign Ministry statement said in a statement. The statement did not refer to Trump’s comment about India’s purchases of Russian oil.
Indian officials are in Washington for trade talks, with the US having doubled tariffs on Indian goods to pressure New Delhi to reduce Russian oil imports. US negotiators have said curbing those purchases would be crucial to reducing India’s tariff rate and sealing a trade deal. India and China are the two top buyers of Russian seaborne crude exports, taking advantage of the discounted prices Russia has been forced to accept after European buyers shunned purchases and the US and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a White House event on Wednesday. India’s Foreign Ministry said it was discussing deeper energy co-operation with the US.
“The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” Foreign ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the statement. Indian refiners said they have not been formally told by the government about stopping Russian oil purchases, sources said. They declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to media.
–Reuters–
