India's energy ties with Russia in sync with its national interest, says Moscow's envoy to Delhi

Denis Alipov said Russian crude remains India’s most cost-effective option, as Moscow continues to build new payment and logistics systems to bypass Western pressure.

New Delhi: India’s energy partnership with Russia aligns with its national interests, Moscow’s envoy to New Delhi, Denis Alipov, said on Thursday — a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would cut down oil imports from the former Soviet nation.

Beijing also reacted sharply, warning of countermeasures after Trump suggested that China, too, should reduce its oil imports from Russia.

Alipov declined to directly comment on Trump’s remarks but said Russian crude continued to be the most “cost-effective option” in the global market. He noted that India was addressing the issue of U.S. pressure “keeping in mind the national interests of India,” adding, “Our cooperation in the energy sector is very much in tune with those interests.”

“Russian energy remains the most cost-effective option on the global market, and Russia has consistently honoured its commitments while showing flexibility in developing alternative logistics and payment systems in the face of attempts to disrupt this cooperation,” he said. Russian oil, Alipov added, currently accounts for nearly one-third of India’s total hydrocarbon imports.

Calling the India-Russia strategic partnership a “stabilising force” in global affairs, the envoy said it served as a “powerful driver of economic growth” amid global uncertainty. “This kind of relationship is in increasing demand worldwide as we collectively navigate an era of unprecedented geopolitical turbulence,” he added.

Alipov also criticised the U.S. and Western powers, saying, “The attempts by the so-called Global North to impose neo-colonial unilateral approaches — including legal sanctions and tariffs — and to provoke conflicts and trade wars in order to retain dominance only highlight its reluctance to accept the emergence of a multipolar world.”

Trump and his aides have long accused India and China of helping Russia sustain its war in Ukraine by continuing to buy discounted oil.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denounced Washington’s stance, saying, “We firmly oppose the U.S. action of directing the issue at China, and we strongly oppose imposing illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on China.” He warned that if China’s “legitimate rights and interests are harmed,” Beijing would take “firm countermeasures to safeguard sovereignty, development, and security interests.”