Amid US President Donald Trump's claim that India will stop buying Russian oil, New Delhi firmly reiterated its longstanding stance, emphasising that safeguarding the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario remains the government's top priority.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the country's energy imports “are guided entirely by this objective.”
Earlier on Wednesday, while speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured” him that India would cease purchasing Russian oil. “I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop,” he said.
Also quoted Trump as saying, “There will be no oil. He's not buying oil,” adding that the change would not occur immediately but “within a short period of time.” The US President further stated that he would get China to “do the same thing”.
MEA's ResponseIn an official statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “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.”
Jaiswal outlined the two major goals of India's energy policy, stating that it focuses on ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies. “Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broadening our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” the statement added.
India-US Energy Cooperation
Referring to the United States, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that India has been seeking to expand its energy procurement for years, with steady progress over the last decade. He added that talks on energy cooperation are currently underway with Washington.
Jaiswal said, “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.”
Last month, in September 2025, Sergio Gor, the US ambassador-designate to India, signalled that Washington wants New Delhi to open its markets to US crude and petroleum products. Gor stated, “Possibilities are endless...we fully intend in these trade talks that are ongoing to open (Indian) markets to our crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG,” while highlighting India's middle-class population. He concluded, “We have countless possibilities to expand into those markets, and we fully intend to do that.”
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Trump on India, Russian Oil
The US President's comments follow his decision to double tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, explicitly citing New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. This conflict over India's oil and energy imports from Russia arises against the backdrop of Trump's views on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Not only Trump, but several of his aides—including Peter Navarro and Howard Lutnick—have repeatedly made remarks criticising India's Russian oil purchases.
Thursday's response was not the first time India has affirmed its stance on energy sourcing. Previously, the MEA has stated that India is “guided by what is on offer in markets and the prevailing global situation” when it comes to energy imports. Additionally, India has emphasised that in terms of defence requirements, sourcing is determined by “national security imperatives and strategic assessments”.
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