White House says US ready to become India's 'reliable supplier' to counter Russia dependence

The White House on Wednesday (April 6) reiterated that the United States is ready to support India as another option for energy imports to counter ties with Russia.

Just like other countries, India has also been hit hard by rising crude values due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The conflict resulted in prices soaring, in some states, prices touched record highs.

In order to mitigate the rising cost of oil imports, PM Narendra Modi's government has turned to Russian barrels that are available at discounts, a move not liked by some countries like the US.

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Responding to the same, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference:"We do not think India should accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities even as, obviously, those decisions are made by individual countries."

She added, "And (the US is) also making clear that we stand ready to support India as in any efforts to diversify its imports and serve as a reliable supplier even as they're only importing about one to two per cent of their oil from Russia."

In reference to the US Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh's New Delhi visit last week, Psaki said that the US has a range of ways to "communicate and engage". Singh visited to discuss with Indian officials on the Russian sanctions.

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Tune in for a briefing with Press Secretary Jen Psaki. https://t.co/q9KkGNNTM8 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 6, 2022

She said, "We have a range of ways to communicate and engage. And obviously, sending our Deputy National Security Advisor is an example of that. But clearly, our preference would be to have a confirmed ambassador."

Meanwhile, on Wednesday (April 5), India's foreign minister said that the government is working to stabilise economic transactions with Russia.

India has also condemned the reports of killings of civilians in Ukraine and urged using diplomatic channels to defuse the situation and end the war.

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