India, July 17 -- India on Thursday responded to NATO secretary general Mark Rutte's comment on possible secondary sanctions against countries buying Russian oil, saying it is closely following the developments and reaffirming that national energy security remains a top priority.

"We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate, and I have said this in the past as well, securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us," ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"In this endeavour, we are guided by what is there on offer in the markets, as also by prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double s...