'Priority to safeguard national interest,' says India on Trump’s Russian oil claim
The Ministry of External Affairs asserts energy decisions driven by consumer welfare as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of bowing to US pressure
Responding to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, New Delhi has said that India’s consistent priority is to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy scenario.
Also read | Trump claims Modi assured him India will stop buying Russian oil
“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. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” Ministry of External Affairs' official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on Thursday (October 16).
India defends energy policy
“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” the statement added.
“Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” it said.
This comes after the US President claimed that Prime Minister Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. “He's assured me there will be no oil purchases from Russia. He can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over soon,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi targets PM Modi
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking to X on Thursday, the Congress MP accused the Prime Minister of being afraid of Trump and the United States.
Also read | Rahul slams PM Modi after Trump’s claim on India stopping Russian oil imports
In his post, Rahul alleged that Modi is “frightened of Trump” after allowing the US president to “decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil.” He further said that Modi continues to “send congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs.”
India is the second biggest purchaser of Russian oil, after China, and Trump punished India with higher tariffs in August. The US President levied 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including an additional 25 per cent duties on account of the purchase of Russian oil.
Russia defends oil ties
On the other hand, Russia has responded to Trump’s claim that India will stop purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow, a move he has criticised as ‘supporting’ Russia’s war on Ukraine, by emphasising a “trustworthy and comprehensive dialogue over oil and gas.”
“Russian oil is important for the Indian economy,” Moscow stated in a brief response following Trump’s remarks and the Indian government’s measured reply that “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 the Indian government’s policy... it reflects the national interest of the Indian people and the national economy, and these objectives do not contradict Russia-India relations. We will continue our discussions with India on cooperation in oil and gas.”
The statement also made it clear Russia will not look to interfere in India-US relations but, equally, seemed to remind Delhi of long-standing ties with Moscow. “We respect bilateral relations... India has a bilateral relation with Russia.”