Russia has no information on India halting oil purchases – Lavrov

Moscow has no information about India halting purchases of Russian oil, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

The top diplomat’s comment on Wednesday came amid US claims that New Delhi has decided to stop buying Russian crude.

While announcing the finalization of a trade deal in a social media post on February 2, US President Donald Trump claimed that India had agreed to halt oil purchases from Russia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make any reference to Russian crude in his post on the deal.

“You [a lawmaker] mentioned that Donald Trump announced India’s agreement to no longer purchase Russian oil,” Lavrov told the Russian State Duma on Wednesday. “I have not heard such a statement from anyone else, including Prime Minister Modi and other Indian leaders.”

He also referred to Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement in New Delhi that energy security will be among the top items on the agenda at the next BRICS summit in India, expected to be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier in the week, Lavrov accused Washington of resorting to coercive measures in its push for economic dominance.

Russia continues to be the largest oil supplier to India, Denis Alipov, Moscow’s envoy to New Delhi, said on Wednesday. “Despite the West’s opposition and the temporary decrease in volumes to 1.2 million barrels per day in December and January, we remain India’s largest oil supplier,” he told RIA Novosti.

India has defended its oil trade with Russia, arguing that its decisions are guided by national interests and the need to ensure energy security for its population of 1.4 billion.

A joint statement by the US and India on a trade framework also made no mention of Russian oil.

Ensuring energy security will remain the “supreme priority” of the government, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said while commenting on the deal.