US Envoy: "We Don't Want Anyone Buying Russian Oil," Praises India Ties

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor clarified that Washington's stance against purchasing Russian oil is a global position, not specifically targeted at India, while acknowledging India's efforts to diversify its energy sources. He confirmed that an interim India-US trade deal is finalized and will be signed imminently, praising the strong ties between the two nations. At the AI Impact Summit, US officials expressed a desire to share technology and deepen partnership with India, highlighting the country's key role. The summit itself was hailed as a successful convergence of US and Indian interests in artificial intelligence.

Key Points: US on Russian Oil, AI Summit, and India-US Trade Deal

  • US opposes all purchases of Russian oil
  • Praises India's energy sourcing diversification
  • India-US interim trade deal to be signed soon
  • US highlights AI partnership with India
  • Summit underscores India's role in Global South
4 min read

"This is not about India; US doesn't want to see anyone buying Russian oil": Sergio Gor

US Ambassador Sergio Gor states US opposes all Russian oil purchases, praises PM Modi, and confirms India-US interim trade deal signing soon.

"This is not about India. The United States doesn't want anyone buying Russian oil. - Sergio Gor"

New Delhi, February 20

Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India on Friday said that the US has seen India diversify the sourcing of oil and underlined that that the United States does not want any country to buy Russian Oil as Washington continues with its efforts of brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia.

He made the remarks while speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit taking place here in the national capital.

When asked about America's monitoring mechanism with regard to Russian oil, Gor told the press, "On oil, there's an agreement. We have seen India diversify on their oil. There is a commitment. This is not about India. The United States doesn't want anyone buying Russian oil. The President's been very clear on this, he wants this war to end. And so anyone who is in a way still involved with that conflict is something that the President wants to see come to an end in hopes of peace coming with that."

In efforts to end the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Trump has been consistently urging for energy decoupling from Russia with several officials associated with the 2.0 administration time and again calling to halt oil exports.

The Ministry of External Affairs has underlined that diversifying energy sourcing in line with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics remains central to India's strategy to ensure energy security for its population of 1.4 billion.

Gor was joined by US Under Secretary Jacob Helberg and and White House adviser Michael Kratsios during the press conference.

Helberg expressed confidence on India joining the US led Pax Silica initiative and said, "As you know PAX SILICA does not follow typical geopolitical geometries. It is a coalition of capabilities and India is by far the country that has the world's deepest bench of talent and we think will be a key contributor to helping us amortize R&D costs through scale. Scale is key to competitiveness and we look forward to working with India to strengthen our shared supply chains".

Michael Kratsios told the media, "One of the main messages here in India has been all about AI impacts and the story that the United States wants to bring is that we as a country want to share the great American technology stack with the world. We want every country in the world to be able to realize the benefits of AI and there's no better partner in the world and no better set of technologies than those provided by the United States. Today we unveiled a suite of initiatives across the whole of the US government to support the export of our great technologies abroad and we believe that is the best solution and best path forward for countries that want to realize these benefits."

When asked when the India-US interim trade deal would be signed, Gor praised the ties between New Delhi and Washington and hailed the friendship between PM Modi and US President Trump.

"The signing will happen very soon. In fact even this week we have both teams are talking to each other and actively getting to a place where both will be able to sign. We're not dealing with a small country, this is one of the biggest economies. And so we're thrilled that the interim deal is done. You have the few tweaking points that are left to do but it's done. So the signing will happen sooner than later."

Gor lauded the AI Summit in his remarks and called it highly successful.

"I think it was highly successful. I think it's a testament to your Prime Minister. This is when the intersection of AI is the United States and India right now. And it happened here in New Delhi and we're thrilled to be part of it."

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, has brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society representatives to deliberate on responsible AI governance and inclusive technological advancement.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
It's good that Ambassador Gor clarified this isn't specifically about India. The US stance is against *anyone* buying Russian oil to pressure an end to the war. The focus should be on the positive AI collaboration mentioned later in the article.
P
Priya S
With all due respect to the US, our foreign policy is independent. We have historic ties with Russia and they have been a reliable partner. We cannot suddenly stop imports that affect our economy and common people's lives. The "Pax Silica" initiative sounds interesting though.
V
Vikram M
The real story is the AI summit and the interim trade deal! That's where the future lies. The oil comment is just diplomatic noise. Thrilled to see India leading the first Global South AI summit. Jai Hind!
R
Rohit P
Let's be practical, bhai. If Russian oil is cheaper, why would we not buy it? Our priority is affordable energy for industries and homes. The West also bought Russian gas for years. We have diversified, as the ambassador himself said. That should be enough.
M
Michael C
As an observer, I think India is walking a very fine and smart diplomatic line. Balancing relations with both sides while securing its own national interest. The tone of the US ambassador seems more collaborative than confrontational, which is a good sign for the partnership.
A

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50