America has once again given a statement on giving temporary exemption to India to buy Russian oil. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters that the Indian government was given this exemption because India has previously cooperated with international rules and sanctions. He said that this decision has been taken only for a short time and its purpose is to keep the oil supply stable in the world.

According to ANI, during the press briefing, Levitt said that this decision will not bring any major economic benefit to Russia. According to him, this step has been taken to meet the temporary shortage in the global oil market. Levitt also said that this decision was taken after discussions with Donald Trump, the US Treasury Department and national security officials. Describing India as a good partner, he said that India has followed the rules of sanctions earlier also.

Decision taken due to Iran war

According to the White House, this decision has been taken mainly in view of the disruption in global oil supply due to the Iran war. Levitt said that when the worldwide oil supply decreased, India was temporarily allowed to take Russian oil so that the market could remain stable. He also told that a large part of the Russian oil that was coming to India was already going via sea, hence the Russian government would not get any significant financial benefit from it.

Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bess had also said that the oil supply has been affected due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. He had said in an interview that America had earlier asked India to reduce the purchase of Russian oil and India cooperated in this. Now, in view of the reduction in global supply, temporary permission has been given to buy oil from Russia.

Actor and politician Kamal Haasan has given a strong response to Donald Trump by writing an open letter. He said that India is an independent and sovereign country and no longer takes orders from any distant country. Kamal Haasan shared this letter on social media platform X.

Haasan wrote, ‘India is an independent country and the time for taking instructions from any foreign power is over.’ He asked the American President to concentrate on his work. He said that only mutual respect between countries can be the foundation of lasting peace in the world. At the end of the letter, he described himself as a proud Indian citizen and signed as the founder of his party Makkal Needhi Maiam.

This statement of Kamal Haasan has come at a time when America has announced to give a temporary exemption of 30 days to India to buy Russian oil. This exemption allows Indian refineries to continue purchasing oil from Russia. This announcement was made by US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. Scott Besant said that India is an important partner of America and it is expected that New Delhi will also increase the purchase of American oil in future. This decision has come at a time when there is a possibility of a rapid increase in energy prices due to the increasing conflict in the Middle East.

To
The President of the United States of America @POTUS

Dear Mr. President,

We, the people of India, belong to a free and sovereign nation. We no longer take orders from distant foreign shores.

Please mind your own business to the best of your abilities.

Mutual respect…

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 7, 2026

America’s claim

America had earlier claimed that India has agreed to stop purchasing Russian crude oil, but this claim was not confirmed by the Indian government. On the other hand, Russia had also said that it has not received any indication that India is going to reduce its oil purchases. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russian energy purchases by India are beneficial for both countries and it maintains stability in the international energy market.

The increasing conflict in the Middle East is also considered to be a major reason behind this entire incident. On February 28, America and Israel launched a military attack on Iran. The news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was revealed in this attack. After this, tension increased rapidly throughout West Asia. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks at several places, due to which many oil and gas fields in the region had to be closed. Due to this, global energy supply has also been affected.