India rejects US, EU remarks on its Russian oil imports

NEW DELHI -- India on Monday objected to the United States and the European Union (EU) targeting it for importing oil from Russia, saying it was "unjustified and unreasonable".

In a written statement, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said that India's energy imports from Russia were essential to ensuring affordable and predictable fuel prices for Indian consumers.

The statement came soon after US President Donald Trump threatened to substantially hike tariffs on India for the buying and selling of Russian oil.

"The very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," the spokesman said in the statement.

He further stated that India's decision to purchase discounted Russian oil followed the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, which led traditional energy suppliers to divert their exports towards Europe. "At the time, the United States had even encouraged India's purchases as a way to stabilise global energy markets," added Jaiswal.

Further highlighting the disparity between Indian and the EU's trade with Russia, the spokesman said, "The EU in 2024 had a bilateral trade of 67.5 billion euros in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at 17.2 billion euros in 2023. This is significantly more than India's total trade with Russia that year or subsequently."