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3 min readNew DelhiFeb 6, 2026 05:13 AM IST
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
In the first remarks since US President Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “agreed to stop buying Russian oil” and “to buy much more from the US and, potentially, Venezuela”, and that “this will help end the war in Ukraine”, India on Thursday said it was “diversifying energy sourcing” in keeping with “objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics”.
Meanwhile, after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent among others in Washington, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday described his visit to the US as “productive” and “positive”, and that the “historic India-US trade deal is in the final stages of detailing that will be completed very soon”. “… It opens up a new phase in our bilateral ties, with vast possibilities for the relationship,” he said.
“Our critical mineral cooperation is also advancing rapidly. Expect engagement on strategic issues, defence and energy in the coming days. Overall, a strong momentum is evident,” he said.
In Delhi, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to questions on the US President’s statements about Russian oil imports, said, “Insofar as India’s energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is supreme priority of government. Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this.”
While Jaiswal did not spell out the stoppage of Russian oil imports, the formulation to “diversify energy sourcing” in view of “objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics” is a thinly-veiled reference to looking at alternatives to Russia like the US and Venezuela.
Asked about Venezuelan oil, he said, “Venezuela has been a long-standing partner of India in energy sector encompassing trade and investments. The country was among India’s major sources of crude oil until FY 2019-20, which were discontinued following sanctions. Imports from Venezuela resumed in FY 2023-24, before being halted again due to the re-imposition of sanctions. Indian PSUs have had a partnership with Venezuela’s National Oil Company, PdVSA and have been maintaining a presence in Venezuela since 2008.”
Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
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