Kremlin says India's oil diversification 'nothing new' amid US trade deal

After India-US trade deal, Kremlin says India has always bought oil from many countries; Moscow sees India's plan to diversify oil supplies as nothing new or surprising

The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that it did not find anything surprising in India’s recent announcement regarding the diversification of its oil supplies. According to Moscow, India has always bought oil from a range of countries, including Russia, and continues to do so, news agency Reuters reported.

 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia and many energy experts are aware that New Delhi does not rely on just one supplier for crude oil and petroleum products. He added that, due to this long-standing practice, Moscow did not view India’s statements as a new shift.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the government plans to diversify its energy sources. He described this as a strategic decision to protect India’s energy security amid changing global conditions.

 

Goyal’s comments came soon after India and the United States announced a trade agreement. Under the deal, tariffs on Indian goods entering the US are being lowered from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. The agreement follows months of trade tension, including the US’s earlier move to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports -- part of which was linked to India’s purchases of Russian crude.

 

Trump’s claims on Russian oil deal

 

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead increase purchases from the US and possibly Venezuela. In his post, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “one of my greatest friends” and suggested that shifting India’s oil purchases could help end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

 

“It was an honour to speak with Prime Minister Modi, of India, this morning... He agreed to stop buying Russian oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela,” Trump wrote.

 

However, while the Indian government has confirmed that the trade deal is in place, it has not yet shared specific details about any commitment to halt Russian oil imports mentioned by Trump. Indian refineries had already begun efforts to diversify their oil sources after the tariff was imposed in August 2025.     

 

No official word yet on ending Russian oil purchases

 

A day after Trump’s statement, the Kremlin also said it had not received any official communication from New Delhi about ending purchases of Russian crude. Peskov said Moscow was analysing Trump's comments, but clarified that Russia had heard no direct statement from India on stopping oil imports.

 

Despite the claims in the trade announcement, Peskov said that Russia respects India’s relationship with the United States but also values its strategic partnership with India. He said Moscow wants to continue building strong ties with New Delhi.

 

(With agency inputs)