India and the US discussed energy security and trade when India’s ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met US deputy secretary of energy James Danly in Washington on Friday evening.
The meeting came in the backdrop of the ongoing discussion over a bilateral trade deal between the two countries, which is nearing conclusion, according to a section of the Indian government.
Energy is likely to play a key role in facilitating the deal, as an elevated oil and gas import from the USA can potentially narrow the trade deficit between the countries, allaying a key concern of the Trump administration.
In a social media post on Saturday, ambassador Kwatra said he had a “fruitful discussion” with Danly on the “India-US energy security partnership and shared perspectives on recent developments in energy trade and ties”.
Commerce secretary Rajesh Agarwal said last week that India can potentially double its annual energy purchase from the US from the present level of $15-16 billion.
USA is ranked fifth among countries India procures oil from, trailing Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and UAE. India has been buying at 295,000 barrels per day (bpd) on average in 2025 from the US, up from 199,000 bpd it bought in 2024, according to data from Kpler.
With oil purchases from Russia set to fall after Washington sanctioned two of Moscow’s top oil producers, procurement from other regions, including the US, is set to rise.
Increasing purchases from the US and bringing imports down from Russia are key monitorables as New Delhi seeks to bring US tariffs down to a mid-teens level from the 50 per cent at present.
Apart from Danley, Kwatra also met with Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet. The ambassador said the two had a “productive discussion” on the India-US industrial cooperation
On Thursday, Kwatra also hosted Republican Senator from Tennessee, Bill Hagerty and his wife, Chrissy Hagerty, at his residence.
“Discussed various facets of our bilateral partnership, including continuing ongoing talks on a mutually beneficial trade deal,” Kwatra said in a post on X.
He added that they also spoke on “working together to address shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region”.