Trump Aide's "Don't Want To Punish India" Remark And A Crude Suggestion

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called on India to reconsider its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil while emphasizing that Washington does not intend to impose punitive tariffs on New Delhi but rather aims to end Moscow's military operations in Ukraine.

Wright highlighted that the United States envisions a "bright future" with India and seeks greater alignment regarding the Ukraine conflict.

During his address at the New York Foreign Press Centre, Wright told ANI, "There are numerous oil exporters globally. India doesn't need to purchase Russian oil; it does so because of the price advantage. No one wants to buy Russian oil, which is why they sell at a discount. India has made a trade-off to purchase cheaper oil while disregarding the fact that this provides funding to someone responsible for thousands of deaths weekly."

The US official expressed Washington's desire for New Delhi to collaborate on crude oil purchases. "We wish India would work with us on oil purchases. You can source oil from any nation except Russia. That's our position. America has oil to sell, as do many others," he stated.

"Our goal isn't to penalize India. We want to end the conflict and strengthen our relationship with India."

These comments come as the Donald Trump administration has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian imports—among the highest globally—with 25 percent linked to New Delhi's Russian oil trade. President Trump has accused India of "fueling Russia's deadly attacks on Ukraine" through these discounted crude purchases.

Wright affirmed his belief that India shares the US objective of ending the Russia-Ukraine war and emphasized Washington's view of New Delhi as a critical trading partner.

"I am a tremendous supporter of India. We value our relationship with India and look forward to expanded energy trade and increased interactions, though India is currently caught in the middle of another issue," he remarked.

"I believe Indians also desire to end this war. We aim to expand our energy cooperation with India across natural gas, coal, nuclear, clean cooking fuels, and liquid petroleum gas. We strongly desire increased trade and energy collaboration with India."

The Trump aide underscored the priority of ending the conflict while strengthening US-India relations, noting that the US seeks to apply "maximum pressure" on Russia to conclude the war.

"President Trump wants nothing more than to see this war end, which would also remove a source of friction. I fully support energy and trade cooperation with India. There's significant potential, but we need to determine how to collaborate effectively to exert maximum pressure to end the conflict," he said.

Wright mentioned meeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the January inauguration night, where they discussed future cooperation. Regarding this meeting, the US official noted, "Russia's pursuit of peace in Ukraine is complicated. Within the US cabinet and with our allies, we're exploring creative approaches to end this war."

"We all want to see its conclusion. However, sanctioned Russian oil continues flowing to China, India, and Turkey, helping Russia finance the war. That's where the friction exists," he concluded.