'Top priority is energy security,' MEA clarifies after Trump says India will stop buying Russian oil

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday did not deny US President Donald Trump's claim that India has agreed to stop its crude oil purchase from Russia and would instead buy more energy from the United States.

Responding to a media query, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people remains the top priority of the government.

“In so far as India’s energy security or energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions, including by me here, that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is its supreme priority,” Jaiswal said.

“Diversifying energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy. All of India’s decisions are taken and will continue to be taken with this objective in mind,” he added.

Announcing the much-awaited trade deal with India, US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that New Delhi agreed to end purchases of Russian oil.

Prime Minister Modi “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela. This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.’

Trump said reciprocal tariffs on Indian imports into the US would be reduced from 25% to 18% with immediate effect, while India would eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American products.

In a post on X, Modi thanked Trump on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians for the tariff announcement and welcomed the reduction in duties on Made-in-India products, saying cooperation between the world’s two largest democracies would unlock “immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation”.

However, the prime minister did not make any reference to oil purchases in his statement.

Jaiswal said Venezuela has been a long-standing partner for India in the energy sector, both on the trade and investment fronts.

“As far as Venezuela is concerned, it has been a long-standing partner for us in the area of energy… We were importing crude oil from Venezuela till 2019-20 and thereafter we had to stop. Again, we started buying oil in 2023-24, but had to stop because of the reimposition of sanctions,” Jaiswal said.

He said that Indian public sector undertakings have maintained a presence in Venezuela since 2008 through partnerships with the country’s national oil company PDVSA.

“Consistent with our approach to energy security, India remains open to exploring the commercial merits of any crude supply options,” he said.