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Amid Donald Trump's tirade against India for buying Russian oil, the government has clarified its stance on sourcing energy. Responding to a question on Trump's 25 per cent tariffs announcement for India, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said that India is "guided by what is on offer in markets and prevailing global situation" when it comes to sourcing energy.

US President Donald Trump (L), PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin

In terms of defence requirement, India said the sourcing is determined by "national security imperatives and strategic assessments".

The MEA spokesperson's remarks came days after Trump targeted India for being "Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China". Citing the same, he announced 25 per cent tariffs, plus penalties that remain unspecified, for India.

While the MEA asserted that India and Russia have had a steady and "time-tested" partnership, he also urged that ties between India and any other country shouldn't be seen from the prism of a third nation.

“The sourcing of defence requirement is determined solely by our national security imperatives and strategic assessments. Similarly, the sourcing of our energy needs...we are guided by what is available in the markets and by prevailing global circumstances," Jaiswal said during a press briefing on Friday.

Earlier in July, Trump had threatened secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil if Moscow did not agree to a deal to end the Ukraine war within 50 days.

Ties between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin nosedived in the past few months over the US President seeking the end to Ukraine war. Trump alleges Putin has been refusing to negotiate an end to the conflict, and had threatened that the US could impose 100% tariffs on Russia.

According to news agency Reuters, in the first six months of 2025, India has bought 35 per cent of its total oil supply from Russia. According to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, India was the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May 2025.