New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly reiterated that its energy import decisions are driven by domestic consumer interests, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured” him that India would cease buying Russian oil.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, said: “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 further added, “There will be no oil. He’s not buying oil,” clarifying that the shift “would not take place immediately, but within a short period of time.”
He also said he planned to push China to “do the same thing.”
In response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made clear that India’s oil and gas imports are guided by the goal of safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers under volatile global energy conditions.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated: “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 laid out two key priorities informing India’s energy strategy: “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.”
On the topic of US–India energy cooperation, Jaiswal noted that New Delhi has long sought to expand its energy procurement—and that this effort has gained momentum over the past decade. He confirmed that talks are underway with Washington.
“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, Sergio Gor, US ambassador-designate to India, had urged New Delhi to open its markets to U.S. crude, petroleum products, and LNG. He said,
“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 … We have countless possibilities to expand into those markets and we fully intend to do that.”
Trump’s remarks come amid tensions over India’s continued imports of Russian oil. He recently doubled U.S. tariffs on Indian goods—from 25 percent to 50 percent—citing those purchases as a factor. Several of his aides, including Peter Navarro and Howard Lutnick, have also criticized India’s procurement of Russian energy.
India’s official position has consistently emphasized that procurement decisions are shaped by market offerings and global conditions. Past statements by the MEA have affirmed that decisions on defense purchases, in particular, are guided by “national security imperatives and strategic assessments,” rather than external pressure.