Sergio Gor, nominated by former U.S. President Donald Trump as Ambassador to India, has called on New Delhi to scale back its imports of Russian oil and instead expand access for American crude, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Gor said the U.S. and India are &ldquo;not that far apart&rdquo; on resolving ongoing trade frictions, despite Trump&rsquo;s recent decision to impose 50% tariffs on several Indian goods, many tied to India&rsquo;s dealings with Russia. He expressed optimism that an agreement could be finalized &ldquo;within the next few weeks.&rdquo;
Emphasizing Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;strong friendship&rdquo; with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gor described closer U.S.-India cooperation as essential to countering China&rsquo;s growing influence. 
He also noted that India has shown more willingness to engage with Washington compared to other BRICS nations.
India, however, continues to defend its reliance on Russian oil, citing the need to safeguard national energy security. 
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently reaffirmed that imports from Moscow would persist, regardless of U.S. tariffs.

US envoy nominee urges India on Russian oil

Trump’s India envoy-pick urges halt to Russian oil, seeks U.S. energy market access

US Envoy-Nominee Urges India To Cut Russian Oil

Trump’s India envoy-pick urges halt to Russian oil, seeks U.S. energy market access

September 12, 2025 | 16:06 IST