New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- Indian companies will continue buying oil from wherever they get the "best deal", India's envoy to Russia Vinay Kumar declared, defending the country's ongoing purchase of discounted Russian crude oil amid mounting US pressure.

In an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency, Vinay Kumar said that New Delhi's priority is ensuring energy security of the country's 1.4 billion people, emphasising that oil trade is driven by commercial and "national interest," PTI reported.

His comments come in the backdrop of the Donald Trump administration doubling tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50%, including a 25% additional duty of India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

Kumar stressed that trade takes place on a "...