India monitoring US sanctions bill, says MEA

New Delhi, Jan 9: India is closely tracking a proposed sanctions bill in the US Congress that could impose steep tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Responding to a query, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was aware of the bill and was following developments closely.

“Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known. In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people,” he said. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that proposes tariffs of up to 500% on nations purchasing Russian oil, a move seen as targeting major buyers such as India, China and Brazil as Washington seeks to tighten pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.