‘I’m A Huge Fan Of India’: US Energy Secretary Urges New Delhi To Cut Russian Oil Ties

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he has opened discussions with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on strengthening bilateral energy and trade cooperation, even as he pressed New Delhi to reconsider its purchases of discounted Russian crude.

Chris Wright said the US sees a “bright future” for ties with India but urged greater alignment on the Ukraine conflict.

“President Trump wants nothing more than this war to end, and it would have the additional benefit of removing a source of friction. I am all in on energy and trade cooperation with India,” Chris Wright said, adding that Washington and its allies are exploring “creative ways” to put pressure on Moscow to halt the war.

On India’s continued imports of Russian oil, Chris Wright said,

“India doesn’t need to buy Russian oil. India buys Russian oil because it is cheaper. Nobody wants to buy Russian oil; they have to sell it at a discount. India has decided to make the trade-off to buy cheaper oil and look the other way, which is giving money to a guy who’s murdering thousands of people every week.”

Chris Wright stressed that the US does not want to penalise India but hopes New Delhi will diversify its energy sources.

“America has oil to sell, so does everybody else. We don’t want to punish India. We want to end the war, and we want to grow our relations with India,” he said.

Calling India an “awesome ally,” Chris Wright reiterated that Washington seeks to expand energy trade with New Delhi while ending the Ukraine conflict.

“I’m a huge fan of India. It is an awesome ally of America. But it is also buying Russian oil. We want to end the Ukraine war and I believe India also wants that,” he said.

The Donald Trump administration has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal duties on Indian goods, along with an additional 25 per cent levy tied to India’s Russian oil imports- bringing total duties to 50 per cent, among the highest globally. The US President has repeatedly accused India of “fueling Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine” through discounted crude purchases, even while stopping short of imposing direct sanctions on New Delhi.