Russia on Wednesday countered US President Donald Trump’s earlier statement that India would stop buying energy from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made this statement in the country’s parliament. (via REUTERS)Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the country’s parliament that none other than Trump announced that New Delhi would stop buying oil from Russia.
“You mentioned that Donald Trump no longer announced India’s deal to buy Russian oil. I have not heard such a statement from anyone else, including Prime Minister Modi and other Indian leaders,” Lavrov said in response to a lawmaker in the State Duma (lower house), PTI reported.
US President Trump on Monday withdrew an additional 25 percent tariff imposed on Indian goods due to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil. Trump had earlier said India would stop buying Russian oil while announcing the Indo-US trade deal.
Also Read | Russia Oil Trade Focus After India-US Trade Deal: What We Know So Far
The US president has repeatedly said that one of the above conditions is for signing a trade deal between Washington and New Delhi.
However, no official statement was received from India in this regard. While New Delhi has signaled openness to increasing energy purchases from the US and Venezuela, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has remained diplomatic on the issue. “The trade agreement will not discuss anyway who will buy what and from where,” he told ANI news agency earlier, adding that such decisions are influenced by market conditions and national energy security.
Russia accuses US of using ‘coercive measures’Lavrov’s statement came a day after Russia accused the US of blocking India and other countries from buying Russian oil, while saying Washington was using “coercive” measures.
More Read
“(The United States) is trying to control our trade, investment cooperation, and military-technical relations with key strategic partners such as India and other BRICS members,” Lavrov told TV BRICS on Monday. “With the arrival of (US President Donald) Trump’s administration, this struggle to suppress competitors has become particularly pronounced and open,” the Russian foreign minister added.
He said India and other partners are being “dissuaded from buying cheap Russian energy”, which would force them to “buy American liquefied natural gas at significantly higher prices”, according to PTI.
Lavrov highlighted US sanctions and tariffs, while saying America’s “goal is global economic dominance”, which it enforces through “broad coercive measures inconsistent with fair competition”.
