NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said amendments to a recent US fact sheet are consistent with the bilateral understanding reached in the Joint Statement on an interim trade agreement, even as a senior American diplomat described India’s gradual reduction in Russian oil imports and expanding defence ties with Washington as a strategic gain for the United States in the Indo-Pacific.
“As you are aware, the India-US Joint Statement on the framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade was issued on 7 February 2026. The Joint Statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding in the matter. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalizing the Interim Agreement. The amendments in the US fact sheet reflect the shared understandings contained in the Joint Statement,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
On February 10, the White House revised its fact sheet on the India-US interim trade framework. The updated version removed “certain pulses” from the list of agricultural products on which India was said to have agreed to cut or eliminate tariffs. It also dropped a reference to India removing its digital services levy and diluting the language on India investing $500 billion in US energy goods, aircraft and precious metals was diluted to “intends to buy” more American goods.
Meanwhile testifying before a House subcommittee, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S Paul Kapur told lawmakers that the United States is already seeing movement in India’s energy sourcing patterns.
Asked how Washington planned to “enforce or measure” whether India has stopped buying Russian oil, Kapur said: “I don't know the details of how that's going to be worked out,” he said. However, he emphasised that India has been “reducing their purchases of Russian oil and diversifying away from it”, while increasing imports of American energy.
India’s imports of Russian oil surged after Russia-Ukraine conflict, as New Delhi capitalised on steep discounts while maintaining that its energy decisions are driven by national interest.
Trump’s recent executive order that rescinded 25 per cent punitive tariff said that “India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil and represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States.” The order has put in place a monitoring mechanism as well.
The executive order further stated that the US secretary of state, along with other senior officials, will recommend additional action to be taken, including the reimposition of the 25% punitive levy, if India resumes importing Russian oil.
Beyond energy, Kapur talked about the expanding defence cooperation as central to the relationship. “We have also some potential purchases of weapon systems in the pipeline that will help India to protect itself better, ensure its sovereignty, also will create American jobs,” he said, adding that America is planning more defence sales to India.
Framing India’s military and economic rise as strategically beneficial, Kapur told lawmakers: “An India that can be independent and stand up for itself and preserve its freedom of action actually works to our strategic advantage and promotes our strategic interests.”
In some of his strongest language on the regional balance of power, he argued that a capable India “takes a huge swathe of the Indo-Pacific off China’s plate” and “almost by definition prevents it from becoming a dominant power in the region.” Stressing that India need not align formally with Washington to serve US interests, Kapur said, “They don't have to go far afield to support our strategic interests,” describing India’s independent rise itself as “a strategic win for us.”