India on Thursday once again defended its decision to buy Russian crude, saying protecting the interests of Indian consumers in an “unstable energy landscape” has been the government’s constant priority. This development comes after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India will soon stop buying Russian oil.
Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, issued a statement on X titled ‘Our response to media queries on comments on India’s energy sources’. The statement said, ‘India is an important importer of oil and gas. Protecting the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy scenario has been our constant priority. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. It further said, ‘Ensuring stable energy prices and secure supply have been the twin goals of our energy policy. “This includes our broad base of energy sources and diversification according to market conditions.”
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Foreign Ministry on Trump’s claim related to Russian oil
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement that India’s import policies are guided by the objective of protecting its interests. However, he also said that India is a significant importer of oil and gas. “Ensuring stable energy prices and secure supply have been the twin goals of our energy policy,” Jaiswal said. “This includes broadening our energy sources and diversifying them according to market conditions.” In his statement, Jaiswal said the Trump administration has also shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India and said discussions are ongoing between the two countries. “As far as the United States is concerned, we have been trying to expand our energy purchases for many years. There has been steady progress over the past decade,” he said.
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Trump’s claim on India’s Russian oil imports
Earlier, the 79-year-old Republican President said that India will soon stop buying Russian oil after getting assurance in this regard from the Indian Prime Minister. Trump was speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington on Wednesday, when he said that it would be easier to stop the Ukraine war if India stops buying Russian oil. He also said he would urge China to stop buying Russian oil. The US President said, “I am not happy with India buying oil, and (Modi) assured me today that he will not buy oil from Russia. This is a big step.” India and China are the biggest buyers of Russian oil. Western countries have criticized India for this, but New Delhi has defended its decision saying that it is necessary to protect its national interests.