‘No Modi-Trump call’: India says diversifying oil sources to protect national interests
New Delhi: India on Thursday asserted that its energy import decisions are driven solely by national interest and the need to secure affordable supplies, hours after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him of halting Russian crude oil purchases.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India continues to “broad-base and diversify” its energy sources to suit market conditions and safeguard consumer interests. “Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy,” Jaiswal stated. “This includes broadening our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”
When asked specifically about Trump’s claim that Modi made the assurance to him on Wednesday, Jaiswal said he was not aware of any such phone conversation. He did not directly answer questions on whether Modi had assured Trump that India would stop buying Russian energy.
Trump told reporters in Washington that Modi had conveyed India’s decision to stop purchasing Russian oil. “He (Modi) has assured me there will be no oil purchases from Russia,” the US president said, adding that while India “can’t do it immediately,” the process of reducing imports had begun. “It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over soon,” he added.
India, one of the world’s largest oil importers, has continued to buy discounted Russian crude despite Western sanctions, citing national interest and the need to manage domestic fuel prices amid global volatility. These purchases have been a recurring source of tension in India-US relations, which have recently come under further strain.
Jaiswal underlined that New Delhi’s energy procurement is “guided entirely” by domestic priorities. “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,” he said. He also noted that India and the US are in dialogue to deepen bilateral energy cooperation. “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,” Jaiswal added.
Trump linked his remarks on Indian oil imports to Washington’s broader effort to curtail Moscow’s revenues from energy exports, which the US believes are funding the war in Ukraine. “All we want from President Putin is to stop this, stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians because he’s killing a lot of Russians. It is a war he should have won in one week and now it is going into the fourth year,” Trump said.
Reacting to the controversy, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said Moscow remains New Delhi’s “most reliable energy partner” and that Russian crude continues to be the most cost-effective option available on the global market. “Russian energy remains the most cost-effective option on the global market, and Russia has consistently honoured its commitments while showing flexibility in developing alternative logistics and payment systems in the face of attempts to disrupt this cooperation,” Alipov said at an event in New Delhi.
He noted that Russian crude currently accounts for nearly one-third of India’s total hydrocarbon imports and described the broader India-Russia strategic partnership as a “stabilising force” in global affairs. “This kind of relationship is in increasing demand worldwide as we collectively navigate an era of unprecedented geopolitical turbulence,” Alipov said.
Asked about Trump’s statement and whether India would continue to import Russian crude, Alipov said the matter rests with the Indian government. “This is a question for the Indian government to answer. The Indian government is addressing the matter with the national interests of this country in mind first and foremost. Our cooperation in the energy sector is very much in tune with those interests,” he said.
Tensions between New Delhi and Washington have deepened in recent weeks after Trump’s administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including an additional 25 per cent duty on imports linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. India called the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
Amid these strains, US Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor visited New Delhi last week and met Prime Minister Modi, along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. After the meetings, Gor said the United States “values its relationship with India”, signalling an attempt to stabilise the increasingly complex bilateral ties.
Despite diplomatic unease, New Delhi continues to assert that its energy strategy will remain guided by economic and strategic considerations. As Jaiswal reiterated, “Our import policies are guided entirely by national interest.”