Trump clears waiver for India to purchase Russian oil to stabilise energy markets: White House

WASHINGTON: The White House said that President Donald Trump personally approved a temporary waiver allowing India to purchase Russian oil as part of a broader effort to stabilise global energy markets amid disruptions caused by the ongoing US military campaign against Iran.

The decision was taken after consultations between the President, the Treasury Department, and members of the national security team, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“The President and the Secretary of the Treasury and the whole national security team came to this decision because our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil,” Leavitt told reporters in response to a question.

She said the temporary measure was meant to address disruptions in global oil supply triggered by the crisis surrounding Iran.

“So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them to accept that Russian oil,” she said.