United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright, on Wednesday, expressed strong admiration for India and said that the United States is keen to expand energy cooperation with New Delhi.
Wright also stressed that the US is not looking to punish India with tariffs, but instead wants peace, and in the process hopes India will stop purchasing Russian oil, as the US has plenty of alternatives to offer.
Washington seeks deeper energy cooperation with India
Speaking at a press conference at the New York Foreign Press Centre, Wright highlighted areas of collaboration between the two countries, including natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, clean cooking fuels, and liquid petroleum gas. “I am a huge fan of India. We love India. We look forward to more energy trade, more interactions back and forth with India,” Wright said, calling India a “star” in several energy sectors.
Recalling his early days in office, Wright told PTI, “A lot of my early time when I arrived in my position was dealing with India, the world’s largest democracy, an awesome ally of the United States, a fast-growing economy, a truly dynamic society that of course has rapidly growing energy demand because people are increasing their prosperity, their opportunities.” This experience, he said, strengthened his belief in expanding energy trade and cooperation with India across multiple sectors.
America asks India to purchase their oil
Wright, speaking in New York, was responding to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s earlier remarks that New Delhi expects to expand its collaboration with Washington on certain energy products in the years to come. In the same conversation, Wright acknowledged the geopolitical challenges India faces, especially regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In response to a question from the news agency on India-Russia oil trade, Wright said, “There are lots of oil exporters in the world. India doesn’t need to buy Russian oil. India buys Russian oil because it is cheaper. Nobody wants to buy Russian oil; they have to sell it at a discount. India has decided to make the trade-off to buy cheaper oil and look the other way, which is giving money to a guy who’s murdering thousands of people every week.”
He linked the global energy trade to the conflict, adding that sanctioned Russian oil is being exported to China, India, and Turkey, which in turn funds Russia’s war efforts. “And that’s the friction. The friction is on that issue,” Wright said. “We want to bring that war to an end. I believe the Indians want to bring that war to an end, and we want to expand our energy cooperation with India.”
He also urged New Delhi to reconsider its oil imports from Russia, adding that the United States does not intend to punish India but seeks to promote peace in Ukraine. “We wish India would work with us to buy [oil]. You can buy oil from every nation on the earth, just not Russian oil. That’s our position. America has oil to sell, so does everybody else.”
Trump’s focus on global peace
While discussing war in Russia-Ukraine, Wright diverted the discussion to US President Donald Trump’s emphasis on peace, saying, “When I talk to him, it does not matter what the topic is; peace comes up. How can we use our tools and leverage to drive peace?” He described the Russian war in Ukraine as brutal and reiterated Washington’s goal to end the conflict while continuing trade with India.