New Delhi: Amid questions over United States President Donald Trump’s executive order on Russian crude oil, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday (February 9), while avoiding clear answers, listed out “key drivers” that have affected India’s oil purchase decisions, saying it is being done in the “interests of Indian consumers”.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who was addressing an MEA briefing on the visit of the President of Seychelles, was stormed by queries from the press regarding Trump’s recent claim that India had taken “significant steps” and was “committed” to stop buying Russian oil.Trump also said the tariffs would return if India “resumes” oil imports from Russia, further claiming that India would buy US energy.The claim, which was not explicitly denied by the government, was made in an executive order issued simultaneously with the India-US joint statement on the interim trade agreement framework, and appeared to be a condition for the removal of the 25% ‘penalty’.“We are a developing economy; we have to be conscious about our resource availability. Naturally, when you are dependent to the extent of 80-85% on an imported resource, you have to have concerns about the possibility of inflation driven by energy costs,” the foreign secretary said at the briefing.Also read: Why Trump’s Executive Order on India’s Stoppage of Russian Crude has Serious Consequences“So, it’s not surprising therefore that our foremost priority is to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers insofar as energy is concerned – to really ensure that they receive adequate energy at the right price and through reliable and secure supplies. And our import policy insofar as energy is concerned is therefore driven entirely by these objectives,” he added.Speaking of the “uncertainties” in the “global economy”, he said that India has a “common interest in ensuring stable energy prices and secure supplies”. He underlined that India is not just one of the largest consumers of energy, but it also “plays an important role as a stabilizing factor in global energy markets”.Misri claimed that India is not dependent on a single source for energy.“The key drivers of our energy policy are adequate availability, fair pricing, and reliability of supply. So, if you look at the data—and I’m sure you’re looking at the data on a constant basis—you will see that we import crude oil from dozens of countries,” he said.“We are neither dependent on any single source for this, nor do we intend to be,” he further stated, adding that India’s approach was to diversify and maintain multiple sources of supply.He went on to say that the sourcing of energy depends more on oil companies in the private sector who make decisions based on “market conditions”.“Obviously, all of these companies also have their own internal accountability-related processes to look at and certain fiduciary responsibilities in the market,” he said, calling it a “complex matrix of issues”.“At the end of the day, national interests will be the guiding factor for us in our choices,” he added.The Modi government has thus far maintained a conspicuous silence on Trump’s assertion. Facing the heat, Union industries and commerce minister Piyush Goyal at an earlier press conference had diverted the question saying “The MEA will be able to give this information.”Meanwhile, Misri’s comments were consistent with that of MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who, when asked if India would stop buying Russian oil, mentioned, “Insofar as India’s energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is the supreme priority of the government. Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this. All of India’s actions are taken and will be taken with this in mind.”