Russia rubbishes Trump's India oil deal claim, says no talks with India

Moscow (The Uttam Hindu): Following a statement by US President Donald Trump, discussions on India-Russia relations have intensified on the international stage. Trump said on Monday that India had agreed to stop buying oil from Russia as part of the recent trade agreement with the US. However, Russia has rejected this claim and clarified that it has not received any such official communication from India.

Trump's big claim:

Trump stated that a new trade agreement has been reached between the US and India, under which the tariff on Indian exports to the US market has been reduced from 50% to 18%. In response, Trump claimed that India will stop buying oil from Russia and will buy more oil from the US. Trump also said that India's purchase of oil from Russia is indirectly aiding Russia in the Ukraine war.

Russia's clear response:

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Moscow considers its strategic partnership with India very important and wants to further strengthen it. "So far, we have not received any official statement from India about buying oil from Russia," Peskov said.

He added, "We value bilateral US-Indian relations, but the Russia-India strategic partnership is equally important to us. Our relations with India are extremely valuable and we want to develop them further."

Oil, Diplomacy, and Global Politics

Since the start of the Ukraine war, India has emerged as the largest buyer of discounted Russian crude oil in 2022. Western countries have expressed displeasure over this and imposed sanctions to limit Russia's energy income. India's position has always been that its energy security and national interests are its top priority.

However, the situation remains unclear between Trump's claim and Russia's denial. There has been no formal response from India on the issue. Consequently, this dispute over oil, trade, and diplomacy is likely to continue.