Rubio claims India ‘interested’ in diversifying oil supply

The US secretary of state made the comments before meeting his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on Saturday that India has expressed an interest in diversifying its oil imports.

Rubio was addressing reporters following last week’s announcement of new US sanctions targeting Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil.

Replying to a question on whether India would be willing to reduce its purchases of Russian oil, Rubio said, “Well, I think India has already expressed an interest in diversifying their oil portfolio and who they buy from. And, so, India only needs so much oil.”

A few hours later, Rubio met his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia – where the two diplomats discussed bilateral ties, regional, and global issues. 

Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur.

Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.

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