According to "Russia Today" (RT), U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Garcia said on February 20 local time in New Delhi that the United States is actively negotiating with India regarding the latter's "purchase of Venezuelan oil," and "hopes to have news on this soon."

Garcia said, "There is an agreement on the issue of oil. We see that India has diversified its oil sources. There are commitments, and this is not targeted at India. The U.S. does not want anyone to buy Russian oil."

At the beginning of this month, U.S. President Trump posted on social media that Indian Prime Minister Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil, and the U.S. would reduce the so-called "reciprocal tariff" rate on Indian goods to 18%.

Photo of U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Garcia. RT

After the U.S. kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro in early January this year and reached an agreement with the acting president of Venezuela, Rodriguez, the U.S. issued licenses to two trading companies to allow them to distribute oil produced in Venezuela.

According to U.S. media, since the U.S. launched military action against Venezuela, several Indian refining companies have purchased the flagship Meres crude oil from Venezuela. The Indian government has also asked state-owned refiners to consider increasing purchases of Venezuelan and U.S. oil. Venezuelan oil is also exported to other markets, including Israel.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been using trade negotiations to try to persuade India to stop buying Russian oil. However, RT reported that India has never confirmed that it has abandoned buying Russian oil.

On February 9, Indian Foreign Secretary T.V. Somanathan stated that India's energy policy has always followed principles such as "adequate supply, reasonable prices, and stable sources." India will be guided by national interests and strive for energy supply diversification.

Russian side said there is no information showing that India has given up buying Russian oil. On the 18th, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zarikha mentioned Russian-Indian oil trade, stating that oil procurement is driven by commercial viability, and there is no reason to believe that India has changed its approach.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7609255712685834752/

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