'India Free To Buy Oil From Any Country': Russia On Trump's Venezuelan Oil Talks With New Delhi

Moscow: Russia on Wednesday said that India is free to purchase oil from any country and its efforts to diversify energy imports are not new after US President Donald Trump announced the India-US trade deal and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

What did Russia say?

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, while addressing a presser, said that Russia has never been India's sole energy partner and dismissed suggestions that a shift in sourcing would be unusual.

While responding to a question about US President Donald Trump's claim, Peskov said, "We, along with all other international energy experts, are well aware that Russia is not the only supplier of oil and petroleum products to India. India has always purchased these products from other countries. Therefore, we see nothing new here."

On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a press briefing said that the hydrocarbons trade is beneficial for both the countries. 

"We remain convinced that India's purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is beneficial to both countries and contributes to maintaining stability in the international energy market. We are ready to continue close cooperation in this area with our partners in India," Zakharova said.

What has Trump claimed?

On Monday, Donald Trump had announced a trade deal with India and reduced tariffs on New Delhi to 18 per cent after holding a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also claimed that PM Modi has agreed to stop buying oil from Russia and will start buying more oil from the US and also from Venezuela.