‘Energy security first’: MEA responds to Trump’s claims on Russian and Venezuelan oil; says decisions are guided by national interests India News

New Delhi: India’s energy security remains the government’s top priority, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, responding to US President Donald Trump’s remarks that India may stop buying Russian oil and instead procure crude from countries such as the US and Venezuela.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s decision on oil imports is guided by national interest and the changing global situation.“The government has publicly stated on many occasions that ensuring energy security for 1.4 billion Indians is the top priority of our government. Diversifying energy procurement in line with objective market conditions and changing international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this goal. All decisions in India are taken keeping this in mind,” he said.His remarks came after Trump claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil as part of a broader trade understanding and that India could increase imports from the United States and even Venezuela. However, India has yet to publicly confirm any such commitment. Jaiswal also touched on issues regarding Venezuela, calling it India’s long-term energy partner while noting that sanctions have impacted imports.“Venezuela, as far as it is concerned, has been a long-term partner of India. We were importing crude oil until 2019, after which purchases were stopped due to sanctions. Imports resumed briefly between 2023 and 2024 but had to be stopped again due to sanctions,” he said.He added that Indian public sector companies have existing links with Venezuela’s energy sector and India remains open to its options going forward.“The Indian private sector has entered into partnerships with international oil companies operating in Venezuela. Consistent with our approach to energy security, India remains willing to explore the commercial merits of any crude oil supply option, including from Venezuela. “Russia: “There is nothing unusual about India’s position”Russia said on Wednesday India was free to buy crude oil from any supplier, its efforts to diversify its energy imports not new. “We and all other international energy experts are aware that Russia is not India’s only supplier of oil and petroleum products. India has been buying these products from other countries. So we don’t see anything new here,” Peskov said.Peskov added that Russia has not received any official information from India about stopping imports of Russian oil.Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also defended energy trade between the two countries, saying it was mutually beneficial.‘Changing internal dynamics’: Piyush Goyal India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said India’s energy security remains the government’s top priority, echoing US President Donald Trump’s assertion.Talking about the selection of oil suppliers, the minister said: “Diversifying our energy procurement in line with objective market conditions and changing international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this. All actions taken by India take this into account.”