Russian oil question lingers as India cites ‘energy security’ after Trump tariff rollback

After the US rolled back a 25% tariff, New Delhi declined to directly address President Trump’s claim on Russian oil, citing energy security priorities.

• India remains silent on halting Russian oil imports post US tariff rollback
• US lifted 25% tariff as India agreed to boost energy and defense cooperation.
• India cites energy security and market conditions for oil sourcing choices.

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India on Saturday neither confirmed nor denied whether it has decided to stop procuring Russian crude oil after the United States rolled back a punitive 25 percent tariff it had imposed on Indian goods over New Delhi’s petroleum purchases from Russia.

The response came after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing the additional tariff, days after announcing a trade deal framework with India.

In the executive order, Trump said India had committed to stop “directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil” and to increase purchases of US energy products, while also agreeing to a framework to expand defence cooperation with Washington over the next decade.

The order added that if the US Secretary of Commerce finds India has resumed Russian oil imports, the administration would consider reimposing the 25 percent additional duty on Indian goods.

However, when asked about Trump’s assertion, an Indian official did not directly respond to the claim and instead referred to remarks made earlier by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

“Insofar as India’s energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is the supreme priority of the government,” Jaiswal had said, according to a PTI report.

“Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this. All of India’s actions are taken and will be taken with this in mind,” he added.

India’s purchase of discounted Russian crude has been a contentious issue in ties with Washington, with US officials repeatedly arguing that such imports help finance Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

New Delhi has rejected the charge, maintaining that its energy procurement decisions are driven by national interest and market conditions, especially after Western sanctions disrupted global oil flows following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

India turned to Russian oil after Western buyers shunned Moscow’s supplies, taking advantage of steep discounts. However, India’s procurement of Russian crude has declined sharply in recent weeks, according to market data.