India, Sept. 26 -- India on Friday dismissed as "entirely baseless" NATO secretary general Mark Rutte's contention that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the impact of US tariffs over Russian oil purchases, and said the country will take all steps to safeguard its economic security.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal brushed aside Rutte's remarks in a recent interview that focused on the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs and punitive measures aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Rutte claimed that a 25% punitive tariff on India over the buying of Russian energy had prompted Modi to speak with Putin on the matter.

"We have seen the statement by NATO secretary...