India has reasserted that national interest will determine its energy choices, with its Russian Ambassador Vinay Kumar on Sunday stating explicitly that Indian firms will go on importing crude oil from suppliers providing the "best deal." His statement comes just days before new 25 per cent tariff penalty of the Trump administration on Indian oil imports of Russia kicks in on Wednesday.
"Indian firms will keep on purchasing from wherever they can avail the best price. That's the position at present," Kumar said in an interview to Russia's state-owned news agency TASS, as reported by PTI on Sunday.
Emphasizing that trade is conducted on a "commercial basis," the envoy pointed out that India's sole priority is to obtain cheap and dependable energy for its 1.4 billion people. New Delhi has repeatedly pushed against Washington's rebuke of its move to purchase discounted Russian crude.
.We have articulately said that our intention is energy security of 1.4 billion Indians and India's cooperation with Russia has assisted in bringing stability in the oil market, international oil market," Kumar added. His remarks came after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had asserted the previous day that the US tariffs were "unjustified and unfair" and being mistakenly "framed as an oil issue.
The latest actions by Washington doubled Indian exports' duties to 50 per cent, including the extra 25 per cent "penalty" on Russian oil imports.
Reacting to this, Kumar explained that the trade alliance between Moscow and New Delhi is decided by mutual advantage and market forces and that the prime concern is to protect India's energy needs. He also added that "there are other countries including the US itself and in Europe trading with Russia."
While US Vice President J.D. Vance termed the decision as "secondary tariffs on India," he clarified on Sunday that President Trump had chosen "aggressive economic leverage" to push Moscow to end its attacks on Ukraine. Washington has accused India's oil imports of indirectly subsidizing Russia's war effort, a charge India has strongly refuted.
