India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has met US Senator Lindsey Graham as trade talks between New Delhi and Washington remain stalled, and tensions rise over the Trump administration’s penal tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.

“Spoke to Senator Lindsey Graham and shared the Indian perspective on our energy security, including increasing energy trade with the United States,” Kwatra posted on X.

A day earlier, Graham urged India to help end the Ukraine war, saying it could be “one of the most consequential” steps to strengthen India-US ties. His remarks come ahead of US President Donald Trump’s August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, aimed at securing a peace deal. The meeting also coincides with Trump’s deadline for Putin to end the conflict or face tougher sanctions.

By agreeing to meet Trump, Putin has temporarily eased the risk of new and severe US energy sanctions. Western powers have identified oil as a key revenue stream for Russia’s war machine.

Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India has diversified oil imports from 40 nations, reducing dependence on any single supplier, and is not “unduly worried” about US actions. He noted that Russian oil purchases helped stabilise global prices after the Ukraine conflict began, preventing a surge to $130 per barrel. Before the war, Russia supplied just 0.2% of India’s oil needs; it now accounts for around 40%, still under a $60 per barrel price cap.

India also rejected reports of suspending defence procurement talks with the US amid trade tensions.