President Trump accused India of aiding Moscow’s war on Ukraine by purchasing Russian energy, derailing trade talks between India and the United States.

Jaiswal argued that India only began importing oil from Russia after “traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict” before noting the U.S. appreciated this move at the time as it kept the “global energy markets” stable.

India fired back at the United States after President Trump pledged to increase tariffs on New Delhi over the country’s purchase of Russian oil. In a statement Monday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the purchase of Russian oil is a “necessity” to “ensure predictable and affordable energy costs” and was once “encouraged”