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‘Our energy needs key’: MEA amid US threat for tariffs over Russia trade
India prioritizes energy security amid US consideration of tariffs on Russian energy buyers. MEA warns against double standards in sanctions.
Washington DC
India’s energy security remains an overriding priority for New Delhi, said the Ministry of External Affairs as America mulls placing secondary tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy.
“We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that securing energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavor, we are guided by what is on offer in the markets, and by the prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter,” said MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.
This comes after US President Donald Trump publicly stated that he would consider “biting” and “powerful” sanctions on Russia and countries that purchase Russian energy. Washington looks increasingly keen to place sanctions on Moscow in order to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. NATO chief Mark Rutte also urged countries like India, Brazil and China to seriously consider the impact of secondary sanctions on their economies.
India is a major buyer of Russian energy exports. India was the second largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. It estimated that India purchased fossil fuels worth €4.2 billion from Russia in May, with crude oil amounting to 72% of the total.
India is currently caught in the crosshairs of a new Russia sanctions bill currently being considered in the United States Senate. The bill proposes 500% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy products, including India and China. At present, the bill commands considerable support in the Senate and could be pushed through quickly. President Trump has publicly stated that he would strongly consider the bill.
However, the bill also makes provisions for the President to provide specific countries waivers for select periods of time. Trump has expressed support for these waiver provisions, which give the President flexibility to decide how widespread the sanctions will be.
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated earlier this month that the Indian Embassy in Washington DC was in touch with Senator Lindsey Graham, the key backer of the new Russia sanctions bill, about the country’s energy security concerns.
“Speaking of the hill, the bill may have 84 co-sponsors in the Senate but only 33 in the House. The battle isn’t yet lost for India even though there is an uphill climb ahead,” says Prerna Bountra, Deputy Director at the Ananta Aspen Centre, a think tank based in New Delhi.
“This is bad but not unexpected. India built itself some airbags in the past year. Strategic oil reserves went up from INR 407cr to INR 5,876cr in the last Union budget, new underground storage at Padur and Chandikhol has been commissioned and emergency crude capacity was boosted. Of course, on the defence procurement front, the efforts to diversify imports and reduce reliance on any single supplier has been well noted over the years,” Bountra adds.
