India said on Thursday that its energy priority was the interest of its citizens, after United States President Donald Trump said New Delhi had promised it will stop buying Russian oil.

New Delhi neither confirmed nor denied it was shifting policy towards Russia.

“It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

“Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously defended buying oil from Russia, a historic partner of India, despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump in August raised tariffs on Indian exports to the US to 50 per cent, with Trump’s aides accusing India of fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy,” Jaiswal added. “This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”

Meanwhile, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticised PM Modi, saying that he was “frightened” of Trump and that he allows the US president to “decide and announce” that India will not buy Russian oil. The chief of the Congress party also said that Modi keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs.

India, one of the world’s largest crude oil importers, relies on foreign suppliers for more than 85pc of its oil needs.

New Delhi traditionally relied on Middle East nations.

But since 2022, it shifted sharply toward discounted Russian crude, taking advantage of a buyer’s market created by Western bans on Moscow’s exports.

“Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement,” Jaiswal said.

“This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”