According to a Reuters report on the 2nd, two Indian government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed India's position, effectively offering an informal rebuttal to US President Trump's external statements.
Last month, Trump threatened India on social media: If India continues to purchase Russian weapons and oil, the US will impose punitive tariffs on top of the 25% import tariff on Indian goods. On the 1st of this month, Trump again told reporters that he believed India intended to stop buying Russian oil.
An Indian source, cited by Reuters, said that the oil contract signed between India and Russia is "long-term," and "it's not something that can be stopped overnight." Another source said that India imports Russian oil to help curb rising global oil prices. Global oil prices have not risen significantly since the US-led Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy in February 2022.
The New York Times also quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials on the 2nd as saying that the Indian government's position on the India-Russia oil deal has not changed.
At a regular press conference on the 1st, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, in response to questions about Russia, said that India's relationship with Russia is "stable and time-tested" and should not be viewed through the "prism of a third country." Regarding the issue of obtaining its energy needs, India will formulate policies based on supply conditions in different markets and global trends.
