US 'ready to help' India cut Russian oil imports

The United States is ready to support India in diversifying its energy imports, the White House said Wednesday, reiterating its desire that New Delhi does not purchase oil from Russia amid American sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine.

"We do not think India should accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities even as, obviously, those decisions are made by individual countries," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

"And (the US is) also making clear that we stand ready to support India as in any efforts to diversify its imports and serve as a reliable supplier even as they're only importing about one to two per cent of their oil from Russia," she said in response to a question.

US Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh was in New Delhi last week to discuss with Indian officials on the Russian sanctions.

"We have a range of ways to communicate and engage. And obviously, sending our Deputy National Security Advisor is an example of that. But clearly, our preference would be to have a confirmed ambassador," she said.

The nomination of the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, the Mayor of Los Angeles, is pending in the US Senate as he does not have enough votes for his confirmation.

"Our preference is always to have a confirmed ambassador on the ground. It's an incredibly important diplomatic position. We also engage with countries through a range of channels. And obviously, our deputy National Security Advisor was just in India recently in the last few weeks, conveying clearly what the consequences of violating sanctions would be and what the mechanisms are," Psaki said.

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