NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Thursday issued a statement in response to US President Donald Trump‘s claim that PM Narendra Modi had “assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil”.The government said India’s import policies are guided entirely by “priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario”.

“India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.Stating stable energy prices and secured supplies as India’s twin goals of our energy policy, Jaiswal said: “This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”The government said the Trump administration has shown interest in deepening engery cooperation with India and that discussions are ongoing.“Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” the MEA said.Trump claimed on Wednesday that PM Modi has assured him that India will stop buying Russian oil, months after he imposed punitive tariffs over the purchases.“He’s assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia,” Trump said. “You know, you can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” he added.Responding to ANI’s question whether he views India as a reliable partner, Trump said: “Yeah, sure. He’s (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship.. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.”“He’s a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know,” the Republican leader added.