India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people and will continue to pursue it through diversified sources of supply, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, reacting to US legislation imposing sanctions on Russia.
The US House of Representatives has passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act that authorises President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on its trading partners such as India and China in the oil and gas sector.
“As stated on several earlier occasions, India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people,” the MEA said in a statement.
“It will continue to do so through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics,” it said.
The MEA said the issue has been “discussed at high levels in recent months with various US interlocutors”.
“Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relationship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side,” it said.
The MEA further said that the Indian side has also made clear to the US side its determination to take all necessary measures to protect the country's trade and economic interests.
“The government will work closely with Indian trade and industry bodies to deal with the implications of these developments,” it said.
(With inputs from PTI)