No reason to believe India halted Russian oil imports, says Moscow

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that India may scale back its purchases of Russian oil, saying Moscow sees no indication of a shift in New Delhi’s position and describing the trade as mutually beneficial and stabilising for global energy markets.  Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at her weekly briefing in Moscow. The remarks came against the backdrop of Washington’s claim that New Delhi has agreed to stop importing Russian crude. “There is nothing new in the claims of US President Donald Trump, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have grabbed the right to dictate to independent nations,” Zakharova said.
The tariff cut included the removal of a 25 per cent duty that Trump had imposed on India in August last year over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Last week, Rubio said India had committed to halting purchases of Russian crude, days after New Delhi reiterated that “national interests” would remain the “guiding factor” in its energy procurement decisions. While announcing the trade deal with New Delhi earlier this month, Trump also claimed that India had agreed not to procure crude oil from Russia.