'Fruitful discussion': India-US discuss energy trade, ties

The Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, held discussions on the India-US energy security partnership and discussed the recent developments in this area.Sharing the details in a post on X on Saturday, Ambassador Kwatra said, "Had a fruitful discussion with Deputy Secretary James Danly on the India-US energy security partnership and shared perspectives on recent developments in energy trade and ties."The meeting comes shortly after the US President, during the Diwali celebrations at the Oval Office, claimed to have discussed with PM Modi India's import of Russian oil."I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He's not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do. He wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine to end. They're not going to be buying too much oil. So they've cut it way back, and they're continuing to cut it way back", he said.While PM Narendra Modi acknowledged the call between himself and the US President, however there was no reference to Oil purchases.Previously on October 18, while addressing a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, the US President had claimed that India had significantly reduced its oil imports from Russia and is now pulling back entirely, stating that New Delhi "will not be buying oil from Russia anymore."On October 16, India responded to comments made by Trump about PM Modi's assuring him to halt Russian oil purchases, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers.Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.""Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he added.