New Delhi: India’s claims of strategic autonomy in its energy policy have been thrown into question after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly dismissed assertions by US President Donald Trump that India agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil, revealing deep contradictions in New Delhi’s foreign policy posture.
According to Global Mirror, Lavrov, addressing the Russian State Duma, said that except for US President Donald Trump, no Indian leader — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi or External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar — has ever declared that India will stop buying Russian crude oil. He stressed that Moscow has not received any such statement from New Delhi.
Lavrov’s comments came amid an ongoing India US interim trade framework, under which the United States lifted punitive tariffs on Indian goods imposed over India’s Russian oil purchases, while asserting that New Delhi would gradually reduce crude purchases from Russia.
According to Global Mirror, Lavrov, addressing the Russian State Duma, said that except for US President Donald Trump, no Indian leader — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi or External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar — has ever declared that India will stop buying Russian crude oil. He stressed that Moscow has not received any such statement from New Delhi.
Lavrov’s comments came amid an ongoing India US interim trade framework, under which the United States lifted punitive tariffs on Indian goods imposed over India’s Russian oil purchases, while asserting that New Delhi would gradually reduce crude purchases from Russia.