US President Donald Trump is not new to the weird trend of making baseless claims and assertions. His irrational statements targeting India has been very consistent since few months, especially in the backdrop of New Delhi purchasing oil from Russia. Trump has repeatedly attacked India and has asserted that by purchasing the oil from Russia, India has fuelled the Russian war machine in Ukraine. In this direction, Trump has also imposed 25 per cent additional tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, thus taking the total tariffs on India to a massive 50 per cent.
Trump has yet again made one such baseless and illogical comment. Recently, Trump told the reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him of ending the oil imports from Russia. He also claimed that he will push China as well, to act in lines similar with India that is pressurizing Beijing to end oil purchases from Moscow. “He (PM Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing,” Trump claimed.
#WATCH | "Yeah, sure. He's (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship…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 stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing…"… pic.twitter.com/xNehCBGomR
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2025
Russia hails the national interest of India
Reacting to the claims made by the US President, Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov said that India’s oil purchases from India are aligned with its national security priorities. The decisions are completely left to the Government of India and the energy cooperation between India and Russia are in complete tune with these national interests, Russian envoy further added.
#WATCH | Delhi: On being asked if India will continue importing Russian oil, Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, says, "This is the question for the Indian govt. The Indian Government is having in mind the national interest of this country in the first place, and our… pic.twitter.com/73Kx2uDOIl
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025
The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak reacted to the claims by Donald Trump. He said, “We continue to collaborate with our partners. I am confident that our partners will continue to work with us”.
India and Russia share a long-standing and time-tested partnership in the domain of defence, energy etc. This ‘special and privileged’ strategic partnership is beyond geopolitical volatilities and economic turmoil. Bilateral relationship is rooted in mutual interests and fulfilling national security priorities.
MEA cites a balance between consumer security and energy partnership
Reacting to the baseless assertions made by Donald Trump, Ministry of External Affairs highlighted that India being a significant importer of oil and gas, consumer protection is the priority amid the current situation of a volatile energy market. “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”, MEA statement said.
Our response to media queries on comments on India’s energy sourcing⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/BTFl2HQUab pic.twitter.com/r76rjJuC7A— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2025
There are twin goals concerning the energy policy of India. It is ensuring stable energy prices and also accomplishing secured or consistent energy supply to the population. “This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions”, MEA statement further added.
Regarding India’s energy purchases from the United States, MEA asserted that there is scope for accelerating energy purchase from the US, however it takes its own time, pace and strategy. Ultimately, While efforts in that regard happens, New Delhi’s energy policy doesn’t confine to one specific partner, but it seeks to diversify its potential import market, based on the aforementioned objectives with the goal of rendering a continued and fair supply of oil to the people. “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 on-going”, MEA reiterated.
