India will continue to buy oil from wherever it "gets the best deal" in order to protect the interests of its 1.4 billion people, the country's ambassador to Russia has said. Vinay Kumar's statement comes days before US President Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on India, including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons, are set to kick in.

Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China.

Refiners in India, among the largest buyers of Russian crude, are planning to trim their purchases in the coming weeks, a modest concession to Washington’s hawks less than a day ahead of a hike in US tariffs,