Our cooperation in line with India's national interest, says Russian envoy

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Thursday said that India’s choices regarding oil imports are based on its national interests, and that Russia’s partnership with India is in line with those priorities.

When asked if India would continue buying Russian oil, Alipov replied, “That is for the Indian government to decide. The Indian government always acts in its national interest, and our energy cooperation fully supports that goal.”

He added that Russia hopes to further strengthen trade and economic ties with India. "We are looking forward to a further expansion and intensification of our economic relationship. This (India) is our bilateral friend, and it is developing independently for the benefit of our economies and our nations. We have achieved good results so far, " he said, adding that "things look very bright."

MEA reiterates India’s independent energy stance

Alipov’s comments came shortly after the remarks by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who emphasised that India’s energy policies are shaped entirely by the need to protect consumer interests.

“India is a major importer of oil and gas,” Jaiswal said. “Our priority has always been to safeguard the Indian consumer in a volatile global energy market. All our import decisions are guided by this objective.”

He explained that the government’s energy policy aims to ensure stable prices and secure supplies, while also diversifying the country’s energy sources to adjust to market conditions.

Jaiswal's response came after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him India would stop buying oil from Russia, a move Trump called “a big step” in US efforts to pressure Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Preparations underway for Putin’s December visit

Speaking about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India in December, Alipov said preparations were well underway. "The preparations are ongoing very intensively. We have a very comprehensive agenda ahead of us. The visit will be very important. In this sense, we are at an intensive stage of preparation for various agreements in areas of economy, defence... We are looking forward to a very productive visit of the Russian President to India later this year," he said.