India is not biggest purchaser of Russian oil: Jaishankar

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday clarified that India is neither the largest buyer of Russian oil nor the country with the biggest jump in trade with Moscow since 2022. His remarks came amid the US decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over its continued oil purchases from Russia.

Responding to a question at a joint press conference with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Jaishankar said, "We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil. That is China. We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian LNG. I'm not sure, but I think that is the European Union."

He further added, "We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022. I think there are some countries to the south."

During his three-day visit to Moscow, Jaishankar also noted that the United States itself had previously encouraged India to maintain energy stability by continuing crude purchases from Russia. "We are a country where actually the Americans said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy markets, including buying oil from Russia," he stated.

He pointed out that India also sources oil from the US. "Incidentally, we also buy oil from America, and that amount has been increasing. So, quite honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you had referred to," Jaishankar said.

The minister’s comments came in response to a query on criticism by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro regarding India’s purchase of Russian crude. Jaishankar said he would not directly address Navarro’s remarks but would comment on the broader issue.

Ties between New Delhi and Washington have strained following US President Donald Trump’s move to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, which included an additional 25 per cent duty linked to India’s oil imports from Russia.

In a Financial Times article, Navarro had accused India of "profiteering" by buying discounted Russian oil and reselling refined petroleum products to markets in Europe, Africa and Asia. Last week, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent also warned of possible secondary tariffs if India continued such imports.

While Washington imposed punitive measures on India, no similar action has been taken against China, which remains the largest consumer of Russian crude.

India, for its part, has consistently defended its energy imports from Russia, saying they are based on national interest and governed by market considerations. Following the Western sanctions on Moscow after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, New Delhi turned to Russian crude offered at discounted rates.

As a result, Russia’s share in India’s oil imports rose sharply — from just 1.7 per cent in 2019–20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024–25 — making it India’s largest crude oil supplier.

With AP/PTI inputs