Russia said on Thursday, October 16, that it was confident that its energy partnership with India would continue, but Russia’s comments came after US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that India had promised to stop buying oil from Moscow.
“We continue to cooperate with our friendly partners,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, referring to India. “Our energy resource is in demand, it’s economically advantageous and practical, and I’m confident that our partners will continue to work with us, interact, and develop energy cooperation.”
“India is a significant importer of oil and gas,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on Thursday after Trump’s claim. “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.”
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India has become the top importer of Russian fossil fuels, after China, thanks to Moscow’s discounts. The Trump administration imposed a 25 percent tariff on India in early August, later increasing it to 50 percent as punishment for buying oil from Russia.
This article includes reporting from Reuters.