Indian envoy Vinay Kumar echoes Jaishankar on Russian oil deal: ‘Driven by national interest’

India's envoy to Russia, Vinay Kumar, slammed the US tariffs on Indian imports and asserted India will continue to buy oil from Russia and other places where it will benefit the country. The Indian envoy pointed out that both the US and the European Union are also engaged in trade with Russia.

In an interview with Russia's TASS news agency, Kumar said India's oil procurement from Russia stabilised global oil market. "India's cooperation with Russia, as of several other countries, has helped to bring about stability in the global oil market," he said. "India will continue taking measures which will protect the national interest of the country," he added.

 "Indian companies will continue buying from wherever they get the best deal. So that's what the current situation is," India's envoy asserted. "Our trade is based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. 

Indian envoy's assertion comes after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's recent visit to Russia. Jaishankar met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier this week. Jaishankar's visit came in the backdrop of tensions in India-US ties over Russian defence and oil procurement.

On Saturday, Jaishankar rejected the US's criticism that India is running a "profiteering scheme" by buying discounted Russian crude oil. "We are buying (Russian) oil to stabilise the oil market. Yes, it is in our national interest. We have never pretended otherwise, but we also say it is in global interest," Jaishankar said during an event on Saturday.