Garcetti video resurfaces as Trump targets India's Russian oil imports

MEA defends India's oil purchase policy as US President Donald Trump accuses India of 'financing' Russia's war, escalates tariff threats and stalls trade talks

As US President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on India over its continued imports of Russian crude, a video of former US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti admitting Washington had encouraged such purchases to stabilise global prices has resurfaced on social media.

 

The now-viral clip, recorded at an event last year when Garcetti was still in office, shows him acknowledging US support for New Delhi’s decision.

 

“They bought Russian oil because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil at a price cap. That was not a violation or anything. It was actually the design of the policy because, as a commodity, we didn’t want the oil prices going up, and they fulfilled that,” Garcetti said.

 

 

India is currently the largest buyer of seaborne Russian crude, taking advantage of discounted rates since the Ukraine conflict began.  ALSO READ | PM Modi defiant as Trump steps up pressure on India's Russian oil purchases

Not the first US endorsement of Russia oil purchase

This isn't the only remark made by a US official regarding India's crude oil purchasing in recent years.

 

In 2022, then US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters that India could purchase “as much Russian oil as it wanted” and at any price, provided it avoided using Western services.

 

In February 2024, then-US Assistant Secretary of State Geoffrey Pyatt also credited India with “playing a key role” in stabilising global energy markets through such purchases amid the ongoing fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

“India has played a key role in our effort to stabilise global energy markets in the face of the extraordinary destabilisation caused by Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and his weaponisation of his oil and gas resources,” Pyatt said. He noted that the G7-led Russian crude oil price cap, implemented in December 2022, had succeeded in cutting Russia’s oil revenues by roughly a third while keeping its oil in circulation to avoid further market turmoil.

 

“There is no daylight between us – the US and India – in terms of our approach to this issue,” Pyatt affirmed.

India defends oil purchase

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a strongly worded statement on Monday, defended the policy as a necessity “compelled by global market situation” and aimed at ensuring “predictable and affordable energy costs” for Indian consumers.

 

The MEA also pointed out that the US and European Union (EU), both vocal critics, continue to trade extensively with Russia. EU's trade with Moscow in 2024 amounted to €67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services, including record imports of LNG. The US, the statement noted, still imports Russian uranium, palladium, and fertilisers.

 

Trump tariffs and stalled India-US trade talks

Trump, who has imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports and threatened to raise duties to as much as 100 per cent, has accused India of “financing” Russia’s war in Ukraine and profiting from the resale of crude. His administration has also stalled bilateral trade negotiations, with agriculture and dairy emerging as contentious sectors.

 

India, however, has stated that while it remains open to dialogue, New Delhi will “take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security”.