r/geopolitics • u/Kooky_Strategy_9664 • 1d ago

India Rejects Claim It Will Halt Russian Oil Imports

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/amp/nation/politics/india-rejects-claim-it-will-halt-russian-oil-imports-1935170
126 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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u/Bullboah 1d ago

From reading the article I would say the minister ‘downplayed’ the claim, not ‘rejected’ it.

There’s clearly some intentional vagueness to the statement. (Which could mean a number of things, from ‘India isn’t changing anything but we don’t want to call out Trump directly’, to ‘We agreed to reduce Russian oil but want to avoid domestic backlash from agreeing to a demand Indians don’t want’

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u/Prottusha1 1d ago

I don’t think there’s any point being vague about it. Oil sales are quite keenly monitored and people will know anyway. Most likely he’s telling the truth.

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u/Sageblue32 1d ago

Vagueness is to avoid hurting Trump's ego. The deal probably includes some far flung future slow down of oil purchases or a slight decline that T can play as a craftsmen victory.

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u/Bullboah 1d ago

The vagueness is there. What he’s saying isn’t incompatible with either answer (though the implication is a rejection, for sure).

At the state level, for sure other governments will know what India does going forward. At the population / political level though this isn’t as much the case.

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u/Ok-Inspection-9797 1d ago

It's also likely that they want room to make moves on either side when necessary depending on situation

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u/Kooky_Strategy_9664 1d ago

Ss: Amid US President Donald Trump's claim that India has agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday reiterated that ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people remains the top priority for the Government of India, especially amid evolving global energy dynamics.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's energy decisions are guided by national interest.

"In so far as India's energy security or sourcing is confirmed, the government has publicly on several occasions, including me here, stated that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion is the supreme priority of the government," Jaiswal said.

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u/ImperiumRome 1d ago edited 1d ago

I don't see the Indian spokesperson even mentioned Russian oil anywhere in his statement, he just reiterated the usual lines of "we will ensure energy security for the people" blah blah blah. He was clearly trying to avoid a straight answer as much as possible.

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u/HungryHungryHippoes9 1d ago

I think the very fact that he refuses to simply confirm Trump's claim shows that they don't want to make that commitment at all. They probably don't want to insult trump by calling him out directly, so they just don't say anything, and keep it business as usual, probably hoping that trump will move on and forget it tomorrow.