US claims India will ditch Russian oil. But India offers no such confirmation

India and the United States are embroiled in a nuanced standoff over Russian oil after Washington again suggested that New Delhi has agreed to stop buying Moscow’s crude. But officials in Delhi have not confirmed any such commitment.

The issue has surfaced amid a broader India-US interim trade agreement that cuts punitive tariffs and seeks to reset strained economic ties.

Under an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump that formed part of the tariff reduction announcement, the White House said India had “committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil” and represented that it would “purchase United States energy products from the United States,” as well as expand defence cooperation over the next decade.

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But in New Delhi on Saturday, Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal offered no clear confirmation that India will halt purchases of Russian oil. When asked whether the country will stop importing oil from Moscow as the US claimed, he said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would speak to that question.

Tariffs, trade and terminology

The White House order eliminated a 25 percent punitive tariff that had been imposed on Indian goods because of oil purchases from Russia. The overall duty on Indian exports had reached as high as 50 percent when combined with a reciprocal tariff imposed earlier. Under the interim framework, the US will apply an 18 percent tariff on Indian products, with the possibility of reducing it further.

The executive order also states that Washington may reimpose the punitive tariff “if the (US) Secretary of Commerce finds that India has resumed directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.” However, the joint statement on the trade deal itself does not explicitly mention Russia; it focuses instead on broader trade commitments, including India’s intention to buy more US energy products.

India sides with energy security

At a press briefing earlier this week, the MEA stressed that ensuring the energy security of India’s 1.4 billion people is the government’s top priority. A spokesperson said New Delhi’s energy sourcing decisions are guided by “objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics,” and reiterated that diversification — not abrupt policy shifts — drives oil purchases.

Opposition leaders, meanwhile, have been critical, arguing that the current framework is skewed in favour of the United States and that key details remain opaque.