US-India Relations Strained Over Russian Oil Imports

News Desk

Kuala Lumpur: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday, marking the highest-level contact between the two nations since Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Russian oil companies — a key source of India’s crude supplies.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, came as both countries seek to ease tensions over trade tariffs and differing positions on Russian oil imports.

Jaishankar shared a photo of the meeting on social media, stating he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.”

Relations between Washington and New Delhi have been strained since August, when US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, accusing India of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine through discounted oil purchases.

Trump, who spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone last week, claimed Modi had agreed to reduce Russian oil imports — an assertion India has neither confirmed nor denied. “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that India would otherwise face “massive tariffs.”

However, India’s foreign ministry later said it was not aware of any such conversation, reaffirming that New Delhi’s priority remained “to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer.”

India has emerged as the largest buyer of discounted Russian seaborne oil since Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Despite recent diplomatic friction, both nations emphasized their commitment to dialogue and maintaining cooperation on regional and global issues during Monday’s meeting.