The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shared its response to recent comments on India’s energy sourcing, emphasising that India remains a significant importer of oil and gas. He highlighted that safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers amid a volatile global energy landscape has been a consistent priority. MEA’s remark comes amid United States President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed to him that India would stop buying oil from Russia.
What did MEA say?
In an official statement, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India’s import policies are entirely driven by the goal of ensuring stable energy prices and securing reliable supplies. To achieve this goal, India focuses on broadening and diversifying its energy sources to adapt to changing market conditions, the statement noted.
MEA also addressed concerns regarding energy trade with the US, highlighting that India has actively worked over the past decade to expand energy procurement, a process that has steadily progressed. The statement noted that the current US Administration has expressed interest in deepening energy cooperation with India, and discussions in this regard are ongoing.
“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. 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. 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,” MEA stated.
Here’s what Trump claimed
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed to him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. The Republican leader described the move as a ‘big step’ in a bid to marginalize Moscow economically. ” He just said that two days ago, as you know. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step,” Trump said while responding to ANI’s question on whether he considered India a reliable partner.
