Russia weighs in after Donald Trump’s big claim on India’s oil purchase: 'Important for...'

Russia on Thursday said that oil supplies to India are “important” for India’s economy, even as US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that New Delhi would stop purchasing crude from Moscow.

“Russian oil is important for the Indian economy,” Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said. “It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.”

“We proceed from the understanding of Indian government policy... it reflects the national interest of the Indian people and national economy, and those goals will not contradict Russia-India relations. We will continue discussing cooperation with India regarding oil and gas,” Alipov added.

The envoy clarified that Russia had no intention of interfering in India’s relations with other countries but subtly reminded the US of India’s “long-standing partnership” with Moscow. “We respect bilateral relations... India has a bilateral relation with Russia,” he said.

His remarks came a day after President Trump said that Modi had assured him India would stop importing Russian crude.

“He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship... we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they've lost a million and a half people,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday.

“I was not happy that India was buying oil, and (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” he said, adding that the process to stop imports had already begun.

Trump said the US wanted India to stop purchases to cut off financial flows that, according to Washington, help Moscow sustain its military operations.

“All we want from President Putin is to stop this, stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians... It is a war he should have won in one week, and now it is going into its fourth year,” Trump said.

Responding to Trump’s comments, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India’s energy imports are determined solely by national interest and the goal of ensuring stable supplies.

“India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario,” Jaiswal said in a statement. “Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy.”

He said India has steadily expanded energy cooperation with the United States over the past decade. “Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement... Discussions are ongoing,” Jaiswal added.

Traditionally reliant on the Middle East for its energy needs, India sharply increased its crude purchases from Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of discounted rates despite Western sanctions.

According to a Reuters report, India’s state-run refiners are now planning to reduce imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the Middle East while boosting purchases from the US. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar have been informed about the likely reduction, the report said.