India has forcefully pushed back against criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders over its continued imports of Russian crude oil, asserting that national interest and strategic autonomy, not external pressure, guide its energy policy.
As diplomatic visits to Moscow by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar loom large, New Delhi is sending a clear signal: India will not be coerced into abandoning pragmatic partnerships that ensure energy security for its 1.4 billion citizens.
As the NSA leaves tonight, these visits, timed ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit later this month and a potential visit by President Vladimir Putin to India later this year, reflect a deliberate recalibration of strategic priorities, not capitulation to Western pressure campaigns.
Reality Drives Energy Policy
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has emphasised that India’s turn to Russian crude was a response to market disruptions, not ideology. With Western buyers snapping up Gulf and American oil following the Ukraine conflict, India sought affordable and reliable alternatives, in line with its sovereign interests.
“These are not choices of convenience but compulsion,” the MEA stated, underscoring that India’s energy strategy is based on affordability, reliability, and national need.
India also pointed out the glaring hypocrisy of the West: nations critical of Indian imports continue robust trade ties with Moscow, including in sectors unrelated to essential needs.
The Western Hypocrisy
India has been quick to expose what it calls the “double standards” of the U.S. and Europe:
• In 2024, the EU traded €67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services with Russia.
• Russian LNG imports to Europe surged to 16.5 million tonnes, exceeding pre-Ukraine war volumes.
• The EU continues to import Russian fertilisers, machinery, chemicals, and mining products.
Across the Atlantic, the U.S. remains dependent on Russian uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear reactors and palladium for its EV industry.
“These are not necessities of survival, unlike India’s need for affordable energy,” the MEA stressed, calling Western criticism “unjustified and selective.”
Fact-Checking Trump
President Trump’s accusation that India is “profiteering” by re-exporting cheap Russian oil has been firmly rebutted by independent analysts and Indian officials alike.
According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI):
• India exports zero crude oil—it is a net importer.
• Refined products such as diesel and jet fuel are exported, a standard global practice.
• China, not India, was the top buyer of Russian oil in 2024, with a purchase value of $62.6 billion compared to India’s $52.7 billion.
• U.S. officials had earlier welcomed Indian purchases of Russian crude in 2022-23 to help stabilise global markets.
GTRI’s Ajay Srivastava noted that Indian imports are already responding to market signals, with May 2025 oil imports down 9.8% year-on-year to $9.2 billion. Indian refiners adjust sourcing based on market conditions and compliance risks, not political diktats.
“In May 2025, oil imports were down 9.8% year-on-year to $9.2 billion,” he noted. Indian refiners, both public and private, adapt their sourcing based on market and regulatory factors, not political diktats,” said Srivastava.
India’s Strategic Autonomy
India’s principled stand reflects its long-standing policy of strategic autonomy, not alignment. New Delhi’s message is consistent and clear: we will not compromise national interest for geopolitical approval.
“The upcoming high-level visits to Moscow underscore India’s independent foreign policy stance,” said a senior official, pointing to an emerging multipolar world order where old paradigms of dominance no longer hold sway.
As Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova put it: “Washington is unable to accept the erosion of its dominance in an emerging multipolar international order.”
The MEA concluded: “India’s energy decisions are transparent, market-driven and consistent with international norms. We will continue to act in our sovereign interest, as any responsible nation must.”
