New Delhi [India], October 16 : Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Thursday said that India's decisions on energy imports are guided by its "national interests" and that Moscow's cooperation with New Delhi in this area aligns with those priorities.
Responding to a question on whether India will continue importing Russian oil, Alipov said, "This is the question for the Indian government. The Indian Government is having in mind the national interest of this country in the first place, and our cooperation in energy is very much in tune with those interests."
His remarks came after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed India's independent approach to energy sourcing, following comments by US President Donald Trump, who claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia.
Earlier, Trump, during a media interaction in Washington, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, describing it as "a big step" in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.
Responding to ANI's question on whether he viewed India as a reliable partner, Trump said, "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..."
In response to such remarks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed India's independent energy policy, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. 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.
Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions."
"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 ongoing," he added.
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