Headline: India denies halting Russian oil imports amid Trump remarks

New Delhi

After US President Donald Trump claimed that India has stopped purchasing Russian oil, government sources on Saturday clarified there is no pause in the country’s imports from Moscow.

According to government sources, India’s energy purchases are guided solely by national interest and market dynamics. India's energy purchases are driven by national interests and market forces. We do not have any reports of Indian oil firms halting Russian imports, the sources stated.

While Trump made the assertion during an interaction with reporters in Washington, DC, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not issued any official statement directly responding to his comments. I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard, I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens, Trump had said.

Trump has repeatedly warned of imposing 100 per cent tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil unless Moscow agrees to a major peace settlement with Ukraine.

On Friday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s consistent position on energy sourcing. You are aware of our broad approach to energy sourcing requirements, that we look at what is available in the market and the prevailing global situation. We are not aware of any specifics, he said.