New York/New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that India has committed to stop buying additional Russian oil, days after New Delhi maintained that “national interests” would remain the guiding factor in its energy procurement decisions.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Rubio said, “In our conversations with India, we’ve gotten their commitment to stop buying additional Russian oil.” He was responding to a question related to the Russia-Ukraine war and the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The remarks come shortly after US President Donald Trump, while announcing a trade deal with New Delhi earlier this month, claimed that India had agreed not to procure crude oil from Russia. In the days following the announcement, US officials reiterated that India would halt further purchases of Russian oil.
After announcing the trade deal, Trump signed an executive order rolling back an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods that had been imposed in August last year over India’s procurement of crude oil from Russia.
On the Indian side, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said this week that India would continue to maintain multiple sources for crude oil purchases to ensure stability in its supply chain. He emphasized that national interest would remain the primary guiding factor in energy procurement decisions.
The developments come amid ongoing geopolitical tensions over the Russia-Ukraine conflict and continued Western sanctions on Moscow, with energy trade remaining a key point of diplomatic engagement between Washington and New Delhi.
