India on Thursday firmly underlined that protecting the energy needs of its population remains its top priority, responding to recent claims from Washington that New Delhi has agreed to halt crude oil purchases from Russia.

At a weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made it clear that India’s energy decisions are guided by national interest and ground realities, not external pressure. Stressing the scale of the challenge, Jaiswal said the government’s approach is centred on ensuring uninterrupted and affordable energy for the country’s 1.4 billion citizens.

“Insofar as India’s energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is the supreme priority of the government,” Jaiswal said.

He explained that India continues to follow a pragmatic and flexible strategy, sourcing petroleum and energy resources from multiple suppliers based on global market conditions and changing geopolitical situations.

“Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this,” he added.
Jaiswal further emphasised that India’s decisions on energy imports are taken independently and after careful evaluation of domestic requirements, global supply chains, and price stability.

“All of India’s actions are taken and will be taken with this in mind,” he said.