US energy secretary tells India: Buy oil from anywhere but Russia

United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright called on India to reconsider its oil imports from Russia emphasising that the US does not intend to punish India but aims to bring an end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine Addressing a press conference at the New York Foreign Press Centre Wright made the remarks in response to ANIs query on Indias continued oil trade with RussiaThere are lots of oil exporters in the world India doesnt need to buy Russian oil India buys Russian oil because it is cheaper Nobody wants to buy Russian oil they have to sell it at a discount India has decided to make the tradeoff to buy cheaper oil and look the other way which is giving money to a guy whos murdering thousands of people every week Wright told ANIWright clarified the US position stating We wish India would work with us to buy oil You can buy oil from every nation on earth except Russian oil Thats our position America has oil to sell so does everybody else We dont want to punish India We want to end the war and we want to grow our relations with India On engaging with Indian leadership Wright said he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the inauguration night and initiated a dialogue on future cooperationI met the Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar on the inauguration night and began a dialogue about cooperation and the future pathway between our countries Russia trying to find peace in Ukraine is a sticky thing We are both within the cabinet in the United States and with our allies trying to find the most creative ways to bring this war to an end he saidWright emphasised the priority of ending the conflict while strengthening USIndia ties President Trump wants nothing more than this war to end and it would have the additional benefit of removing a source of friction I am all in on energy and trade cooperation with India Theres a bright future there but somehow we have to figure out how to work together to put the maximum pressure to bring the war to an end he saidIn August 2025 the Trump administration imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods raising the total tariff burden to 50 per cent due to Indias continued oil imports from Russia The Ministry of External Affairs MEA criticised the move terming it unfair unjustified and unreasonable and reiterated that Indias energy policy is governed by market dynamics and its need to ensure affordable energy access for its 14 billion citizensThe United States has targeted Indias oil imports from Russia We have already made clear our position our imports are based on market factors and aimed at ensuring energy security for 14 billion Indians said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal Earlier many US officials targeted India over the purchase of Russian oil with Peter Navarro Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing accusing India of profiteering from Russian oil in his latest slew of remarks alongside alleging that Indias tariffs cost Americans jobsNavarro has repeatedly taken jibes at India in recent times From calling it a laundromat for the Kremlin to the castiest jibes such as Brahmins are profiteering from the conflict in Russia Further the White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett said that Trump and the trade team are disappointed with Indias continued imports of Russian crude oil but hoped for positive developments Meanwhile Trump has repeatedly described India as Americas most tariffed partner calling the trade relationship a totally onesided disasterThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever