New Delhi

Responding to the US President Donald Trump’s yet another claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed not to buy oil from Russia, the government has said that its energy priority was the interest of its citizens.

New Delhi neither confirmed nor denied that it was shifting policy towards Russia.

“It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

Randhir Jaiswal said,“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.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.

“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.”

Our response to media queries on comments on India’s energy sourcing⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/BTFl2HQUab pic.twitter.com/r76rjJuC7A

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously defended buying oil from Russia, a historic partner of India, despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy,” Jaiswal added. “This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”

India, one of the world’s largest crude oil importers, relies on foreign suppliers for more than 85pc of its oil needs.

New Delhi traditionally relied on Middle East nations.

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Since 2022, it shifted sharply toward discounted Russian crude, taking advantage of a buyer’s market created by Western bans on Moscow’s exports.