US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he had heard that India might no longer buy oil from Russia, though he acknowledged he was not certain about the claim.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard, I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens,” Donald Trump told reporters..
Trump’s remarks come days after his tirade against India for buying Russian oil and the White House’s decision to levy 25 per cent tariffs on all exports to America and an unspecified additional “penalty” for purchasing Russian energy.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump had criticised India for maintaining the world’s highest tariffs and “obnoxious” trade barriers while continuing to buy Russian military equipment and energy during the Ukraine war.
India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, is the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude, a vital revenue earner for Russia. On Friday, news agency Reuters, citing sources, reported that India’s state refiners have not purchased Russian oil for the last week.
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On Friday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal defended India’s procurement of energy and defence hardware from Russia, saying New Delhi and Moscow have a “steady and time-tested partnership”.
“India and the US share a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges,” Jaiswal said in response to several questions regarding Trump’s tariff policy.
“We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to and are confident that the relationship will continue to move forward,” he said.
He also pointed to the potential for growing the “strong defence partnership” with the US and highlighted that India’s ties with the US had overcome several challenges and New Delhi is committed to taking the relationship forward.
Article source: hindustantimes.com
