India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has engaged in talks with influential US Senator Lindsey Graham as trade negotiations between the two countries face a deadlock and Washington moves to impose penalties on nations purchasing Russian oil.

Kwatra stated on X that he discussed India’s energy security and the growing energy trade with the US during his meeting with Graham. This follows Graham’s call for India to help end the Ukraine war, stressing that such a move would strengthen India-US relations.

The talks come ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. Trump has warned of tougher sanctions if Putin fails to agree to peace terms.

Indian Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently downplayed concerns over US sanctions, highlighting that India now sources oil from 40 countries compared to 27 in 2007. He noted that India’s purchases from Russia helped stabilise global oil prices, preventing them from surging to $130 per barrel after the war began in 2022.

India’s Russian crude imports have risen sharply from 0.2% before the war to nearly 40% today, although the oil has remained under a $60 per barrel price cap, not formal sanctions.

New Delhi has also dismissed media reports suggesting a halt in defence procurement talks with Washington due to the trade impasse.