Rubio says India ‘committed’ to stop Russian oil purchase days after Jaishankar's 'strategic autonomy' remark: Who said what
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Rubio says India ‘committed’ to stop Russian oil purchase days after Jaishankar's 'strategic autonomy' remark: Who said what")
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Photograph: (AFP)
Marco Rubio claimed India agreed to halt Russian oil purchases, but Indian officials stress energy decisions are based on national interest. With no clear confirmation from New Delhi, the issue highlights tensions between economic priorities and geopolitical pressure.
In yet another statement over the purchase of Russian oil, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (Feb 15) said that India has committed to stop buying Russian oil. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Rubio said, “In our conversations with India, we’ve gotten their commitment to stop buying additional Russian oil.” On Feb 10, the White House released a factsheet on India-US trade deal. Interestingly, the only mention of Russian oil in the document was in a statement acknowledging that Trump "agreed to remove the additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India in recognition of India's commitment to stop purchasing Russian Federation oil." Apart from this, there was no mention of how and in what capacity is India going to stop Russian oil purchase.
India's take on Russian oil issue
On Feb 14, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, reiterated that India's decision with regards to energy issues are based on its "best interests." "As for energy issues, this is a complex market today. Oil companies in India, as in Europe, as probably in other parts of the world, look at availability, look at costs, look at risks and take the decisions that they feel are in their best interest," he said. He also added, ""India may not agree with all partners on every issue, dialogue and willingness to find common ground remain important."
The statement by Jaishankar was in line with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's earlier statement that New Delhi will continue sourcing crude oil from multiple suppliers to safeguard energy stability.
Also Read: 'Not heard from anyone except...': Russian FM Sergei Lavrov counters US claim on India oil deal
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Russia blames US
On Feb 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that US is using "coercive" measures like tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions in order to achieve its goal of economic domination. He also said that Washington is trying to transform Russian ties with friendly countries like India. "They are trying to ban India and our other partners from buying cheap, affordable Russian energy resources and are forcing them to buy US LNG at exorbitant prices," he said. He also said that he had not heard any confirmation from Indian officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi about ending Russian oil purchase.
India-US trade deal
India and the US confirmed a trade deal after months of negotiations with Indian Prime Minister Modi announcing the same formally on Feb 2 and appreciating US President Donald Trump’s leadership, terming it “vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity.” Trump claimed that India will stop buying Russian oil as the part of the deal. India or PM Modi did not mention anything on Russian oil purchase in its statement. Trump, who had imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports late last year and later doubled the tariffs on India to 50 per cent punishing Delhi for buying oil from Russia, reduced the tariffs to 18 per cent.
