Reacting to Donald Trump’s claim that India will stop buying cheap oil from Russia, a move he described as “support” for Moscow’s war against Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said “Russian oil is important for the Indian economy”.
Alipov stated, “Our constant priority has been to protect the interests of the Indian consumer in an unstable energy scenario”.
“We are based on an understanding of the Indian government’s policy… it reflects the national interest of the Indian people and the national economy, and these goals will not conflict with Russian-Indian relations. We will continue to discuss cooperation with India on oil and gas,” Alipov said.
The statement also clarified that Russia has no intention of interfering in Indo-US relations, but at the same time appeared to remind Delhi of its longstanding ties with Moscow. “We respect bilateral relations… India has a bilateral relationship with Russia,” he noted.
India’s reaction to Trump’s claim on Russian oil
India on Thursday indirectly reacted to US President Donald Trump’s claim of Prime Minister Modi’s assurance to stop purchases of Russian oil.
“India is a major importer of oil and natural gas. Our constant priority has been to protect the interests of the Indian consumer in an unstable energy scenario. Our import policy is driven solely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and assured supply have been the two objectives of our energy policy. This includes a broad base of our energy sources and appropriate diversification to meet market demands. conditions,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
He added: “As for the US, we’ve been trying to expand our energy supply for many years. It’s made steady progress over the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”
