Trump’s energy secretary lauds India amid tariff tensions; ‘caught up in Trump’s biggest passion…’

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright praised India as an “awesome ally” and underlined Washington’s desire to expand energy trade—while urging New Delhi to shun Russian oil imports. In remarks to international media, Wright stressed that buying Russian oil helps fund the Ukraine conflict and called India’s choice “a trade-off to buy cheaper oil and look the other way.” He reiterated that the US does not want to “punish” India with tariffs, but wants to end the war and deepen collaboration in gas, nuclear, coal, and clean cooking fuels. Wright emphasized President Trump’s global focus on peace, adding, “You can buy oil from every nation—just not Russia. That’s our position. America has oil to sell, so does everybody else,” while inviting India to be a stronger partner in finishing the Ukraine war and securing global energy markets.