India’s oil purchases ensure global energy security, the Russian foreign ministry has affirmed, indicating that New Delhi continues to purchase oil from Moscow.
“India has repeatedly expressed its position to the leaders of this state and in contact with Russian colleagues,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
“Oil purchases are guided exclusively by national interests, taking a sovereign decision based on commercial feasibility,” she said on Wednesday evening. “I think that neither we nor you have a reason to believe that India has revised its approach.”
There are reports that India will continue to purchase certain volumes of Russian crude rather than halting imports entirely, in an understanding with Washington. India has reduced imports of Russian oil while it negotiates the legal text of the trade deal with the US. India may still maintain minimum Russian crude oil imports of around one million barrels per day. During the Biden administration, the US was of the opinion that Indian Russian oil imports help to maintain global energy stability.
Earlier, New Delhi defended its oil trade with Russia, arguing that its decisions are guided by national interests and the need to ensure energy security for its population of 1.4 billion.
In his X post following the phone call with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make any mention of Russian crude purchases.
A joint statement by the US and India on a trade framework also made no mention of Russian oil.
Moscow has no information about India halting purchases of Russian oil, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this month. Russia continues to be the largest oil supplier to India, Denis Alipov, Moscow’s envoy in New Delhi, has said.
