United States President Donald Trump on Friday said he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia, calling it “a good step.” However, Trump admitted that he was not certain about the accuracy of the information.
Trump’s remarks come after the US recently imposed a 25% tariff on Indian exports, effective August 1, along with an additional unspecified ‘penalty’ specifically related to India’s oil and defense imports from Russia.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard, I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens,” Trump said.
India, in response, defended its energy decisions, saying they are guided by national interest and global market conditions. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India’s oil purchases are driven by market conditions and what’s best for the country. The government also said it has no information about any Indian oil company stopping imports from Russia.
Earlier on Friday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked about media reports that some Indian oil companies have stopped taking oil from Russia, had said India has made clear its approach on the issue.
“You are aware of our broad approach to energy sourcing requirements, that we look at what is available in the market and the prevailing global situation. We are not aware of any specifics,” he said.
Jaiswal’s comments came after a series of statements from the US, including from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, criticising India for continuing to import discounted Russian oil despite Western sanctions over the Ukraine war.
On the front of India-US ties, New Delhi on Friday expressed confidence that its relationship with the United States will continue to move forward and it remains focused on the substantive agenda the two countries are committed to.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Trump announced the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and a penalty for importing Russian oil, even as there were hopes of an interim India-US trade that would have otherwise helped avoid elevated tariffs.
(With ANI Inputs)