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‘To take a little pressure off’: Trump on US waiver to India for Russian oil purchase amid Iran war
Earlier, a senior government functionary said that India never needed permission from any country to purchase Russian oil.
US President Donald Trump reacted to Washington granting India 'permission' to purchase Russian oil amid the ongoing concerns over oil reserves in the wake of the Iran-US war, saying that he did it just to take a "little pressure off".
His remarks come two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US was granting a 30-day "temporary" waiver to Indian refineries to continue purchasing Russian energy. He clarified that the measure wouldn't help Russia make significant financial gains, "as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea". Follow US-Iran war news live updates
While speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump was asked about the temporary waiver to India and whether the US was considering any other options, including the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve). The US President responded, “If there were some, I would do it just to take a little of the pressure off, the oil pressure.”
He further stated, "But there is a lot of oil, we've got a lot of oil. Our country has a tremendous amount." With reference to using the SPR, Trump said, "Well, I'm the one who built them up. Biden used them so that he could get some extra votes in."
Bessent had also said in his X post that the temporary measure was meant to take off global pressure as Iran aims to "take global energy hostage".
"India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil," the Treasury Secretary added.
Later, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright explained the reasoning behind "allowing" India to buy Russian oil, saying that the measure is aimed at easing pressure and supply flow on the crude market due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
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“We have implemented short-term measures to help keep oil prices down. We are allowing our friends in India to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and move those barrels into the market quickly. A practical way to get supply flowing and ease pressure,” Wright said in a post on X.
He also told ABC News that the waiver did not imply a policy change towards Russia; rather, it was just a short-term measure. "We reached out to our friends in India and said, ‘Buy that oil and bring it into your refineries, ’” he said in the interview.
‘India never needed permission’
Soon after the announcement of the waiver, a senior government functionary reportedly said that India has never needed permission from any country to buy Russian oil, adding that Washington's temporary move only removes friction and that it does not define the country's policy.
Russian oil continued to flow into India even after the US objected and imposed sanctions, the functionary was cited as saying by news agency PTI. The functionary cited a 2013 adjustment done by the then-Congress government in oil imports under US sanctions.
The functionary added that the Centre is continuously monitoring the situation, and it will act, as it always has, in the interest of every citizen.
"No petrol pump has run dry in 12 years. What certain voices are calling a crisis is, in fact, the proof of preparation. India's energy governance has given us the insulation we need," the functionary said.
