'India's awe inspiring journey under PM Modi's leadership...': Hardeep Singh Puri's 'interesting conversation' on HARDtalk after 2 decades

Expressing confidence about the central government's 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) ambition, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The Union Minister, serving as Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister under since 2021, took to microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) to share parts of his interview to English journalist Stephen Sackur for BBC programme HARDtalk. 

Puri said he had first appeared on BBC HARDtalk in 2002 as India’s Deputy High Commissioner to the UK for a pointed discussion on cross border terrorism with Tim Sebastian.

I had first appeared on BBC HARDtalk in 2002 as India’s Dy High Commissioner to the UK for a pointed discussion on cross border terrorism with Tim Sebastian in what was then regarded as a rigorously researched program.
More than two decades later, I had an interesting… pic.twitter.com/YD3ACDm0dn

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) February 7, 2025

Responding to a question on whether India's stance on Russian oil makes it geopolitically vulnerable, Puri told Sackur: "Where the IEA is right is that 25 per cent of the total demand increase in the next two decades will come from India... But today there's more oil in the market than there are takers."

Russia's share of India's total oil imports, which stood at 38 per cent, is decreasing, said Puri. In November, India's import of Russian oil hit its lowest since since June 2022, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a European think-tank. Till then, Russia was India's top oil supplier, followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

India became the second biggest buyer of Russian crude oil since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, primarily because of the availability of Russian oil at a discount to other globally traded supplies.

"What the US told us and many others is that they wanted us to buy as much oil from Russia as we like as long as we bought it at a reasonable price... That was music to my ears," said Puri. 

His remarks resonate with the Modi government's commitment towards affordable and clean energy for all citizens. 

The Modi administration's stance has been a topic of interest across foreign media.

The oil minister described the conversation as "interesting" and spanning a range of topics, including "India's awe inspiring journey" under PM Modi, the distance the country's energy sector has travelled, its focus on climate goals, and "our firm and confident march into a glorious future". 

In January, Puri said that India would continue buying crude oil from Russia if it was available at a discount, explaining the Modi government's commitment to buying the most economically-priced crude oil.