India, Oct. 20 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expressed support for India's efforts to diversify its energy portfolio despite its continued purchases of Russian crude oil.

He said, "I think what India has expressed repeatedly is its desire to diversify its energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do. It's not easy to do that from one day to the next. I think they've made some substantial progress in that regard, and we're happy to see that."

On India's purchase of Russian oil, Rubio said, "But in the end, it's not just about Russian oil; it's about India's desire to diversify, and we think we can be a source of some of its energy inputs. We've discussed Venezuela and other countries, and I think it's in our interest ...