Trump says Modi promised to stop buying Russian oil; India denies any such talk

Reuters :

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that India would stop buying oil from Russia a claim New Delhi later denied.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing.”

He added that if India continued importing Russian oil, it would “keep paying massive tariffs,” which he said New Delhi wanted to avoid.

However, India’s government said it was not aware of any such conversation between Modi and Trump.

When reporters asked Trump about this, he replied, “If they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs.”

Russian oil imports have been a key issue in trade talks between the two countries.

The United States has criticized India’s continued purchase of Russian crude, arguing that oil revenues help fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Trump has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, half of which he said were in response to India’s oil deals with Russia.

India, meanwhile, has become the largest buyer of discounted Russian oil since Western nations stopped purchasing it following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

An Indian government official said trade talks with the U.S. are continuing in a “congenial” manner, though details were not shared. An Indian delegation that visited Washington last week has since returned to New Delhi.

Trump last Wednesday also claimed Modi personally assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil.

But India’s foreign ministry again denied any phone call took place, emphasizing that New Delhi’s main priority is to “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer.”

A White House official later said India has reduced its Russian oil imports by half, but Indian sources said they have seen no such change yet.

According to energy data firm Kpler, India’s imports of Russian oil are expected to rise 20 percent in October to 1.9 million barrels per day, as Russia boosts exports after drone attacks on its refineries.