India has promised US to refrain from additional Russian oil imports: Marco Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India has assured Washington that it will refrain from purchasing any additional Russian oil, amid fresh US sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, media reports said.
“The United States has imposed additional sanctions on Russia’s oil. In our conversations with India, we’ve gotten their commitment to stop buying additional Russian oil. Europe has taken its set of steps moving forward,” Rubio was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS while speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Rubio’s remarks come as the US steps up efforts to curb Moscow’s energy revenues amid the prolonged war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same conference, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s commitment to strategic autonomy, amid questions over whether recent trade engagements with the United States would compel New Delhi to scale back Russian oil imports.
“We are very much wedded to strategic autonomy because it is very much a part of our history and our evolution. It is something which is very deep and cuts across the political spectrum,” Jaishankar said.
On energy purchases, he described the global oil market as complex, noting that companies weigh availability, costs, and risks before making decisions in their own interest.
While acknowledging shifting geopolitical dynamics, Jaishankar stressed that India would retain an independent approach. “If the bottom line of your question is whether I would remain independent-minded and make my decisions — yes, that can happen,” he said.
India has sharply increased its imports of discounted Russian crude since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, citing energy security and economic considerations.
Rubio’s statement suggests continued diplomatic engagement between Washington and New Delhi on the issue.
His comments came more than a week after US President Donald Trump claimed that India had agreed to halt Russian oil purchases as part of a broader understanding between the two countries following months of trade tensions.
While announcing a deal, Trump said India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and increase imports from the US, describing it as a breakthrough in bilateral economic ties.
India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude had emerged as a key sticking point during the negotiations, with Trump repeatedly warning of higher tariffs and additional levies if New Delhi did not scale back such imports.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed reports of any Indian assurance, saying that no one other than US officials had spoken about India potentially halting Russian oil imports. He added that the Indian government had never made such a statement.
The differing accounts underscore the delicate geopolitical balancing act India faces amid Western sanctions and its longstanding ties with Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar have repeatedly said that India’s decisions will be guided by national interest.
India currently imports nearly 35 per cent of its crude oil from Russia, a share that surged after Western sanctions reshaped global energy flows. At the same time, New Delhi has been diversifying supplies, with US crude now accounting for nearly 10 percent of India’s oil imports.
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