India pushes back after Trump says Modi assured him on Russian oil: ‘Consumer interests are our priority’

Hours after US President Donald Trump claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "assured" him that New Delhi would soon stop buying oil from Russia, New Delhi, in a statement, said it was its “consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.”

In a statement on its Ministry of External Affairs website, India said, “Energy policy includes broad-basing energy sourcing, diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”

While avoiding directly accepting or refuting Trump's claims, the South Asian nation noted, “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," it noted, adding that energy cooperation discussion with the US were “ongoing”.

"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."

What did Trump say?

Months after slapping excessive tariffs on India for its purchase of discounted Russian oil, Trump told reporters, "He's assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia." However, he did not share a timeline for this but said, “You know, you can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon.”

Then, in a moment that quickly drew attention, the controversial leader also claimed he did not want to "destroy" PM Modi's political career. Trump, who often praises Modi as one of his closest international allies, said Modi "is a great man" and claimed that the Indian leader loved him. In what could have been his way of professing love, he added: “I don't want to destroy his political career.”