India is maintaining its commitment to import Russian crude, shrugging off repeated demands and tariffs from the United States. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated in an interview that India will continue purchasing Russian oil as long as it remains financially viable.

“Decisions on our oil sources—a significant foreign exchange expense—must be made based on what benefits us the most,” Sitharaman said. “We will certainly continue buying.”

India has been the top buyer of Russian seaborne oil, drawn by discounted prices that help manage its import bill. This trade has angered the Trump administration, which has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods to pressure New Delhi to stop the purchases. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently reinforced the U.S. stance in a Bloomberg interview.

President Donald Trump also criticized India and Russia for strengthening ties with China, commenting on social media that the U.S. has “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China.” Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit to discuss cooperation in energy, security, and other areas.

Sitharaman stressed that India aims to engage constructively with China, particularly on trade and market access issues. She noted that building a long-term partnership will take time and require sincere cooperation from both sides.

The U.S. tariffs could affect over half of India’s exports to its largest market, potentially slowing GDP growth. To mitigate the impact, the Indian government is planning measures to support affected exporters. “We cannot leave our exporters to struggle alone,” Sitharaman said, adding that relief packages are in the works.