India to continue buying Russian oil, official says

India will continue purchasing Russian oil, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on September 5, reaffirming that the country will make energy decisions based on its own interests.

“India will continue to buy Russian oil. It is our decision to buy what suits our needs, where we buy our oil from, we will have to take a call on it,” Sitharaman told News18 in an interview, echoing the Modi government’s stance, Caliber.Az reports via Indian media. 

The finance minister also discussed broader economic policy and reforms, underscoring the importance of fiscal discipline and building trust with citizens.

“There are no shortcuts to earning profits. We need to earn the people’s trust to make them,” she said.

On tax reforms, Sitharaman noted that “99% of all goods and services are now within the 5% and 18%, except for certain goods [sin, luxury],” highlighting progress under the GST framework.

She added, “We needed to do something about the indirect tax that falls as burden on every Indian citizen,” reiterating the government’s rationale for the changes.

Speaking on fiscal management, she cautioned that the fiscal deficit target remains a critical concern.

“Caped, fiscal deficit for Centre will not come down,” Sitharaman said.

By Sabina Mammadli