The North News
New Delhi, October 16
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday denied claims by US President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to him and assured that India would stop buying oil from Russia. “No such telephonic conversation has taken place,” while addressing the meda, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal directly contradicted Trump’s remarks that Modi had told him India would halt Russian oil imports “today,” describing it as a “big stop.”
Earlier in the day, the MEA said in an official statement that India has steadily diversified its energy sources over the past decade, including strengthening cooperation with the United States Department of Energy. “Discussions are ongoing,” it added.
It reiterated that India is a major importer of oil and gas and its energy import strategy is guided by national interest. “It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario,” the MEA said.
The ministry further underlined that stable prices and secure supplies are central to India’s energy policy, which focuses on broadening sources and diversifying suppliers according to market conditions.
