Aboard Air Force One on Sunday, US President Donald Trump once again claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, while warning that New Delhi could face steep tariffs if it failed to do so. The remarks came amid ongoing differences between the two countries over trade and energy policy.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump told reporters travelling with him.
When asked about India’s statement that it was unaware of any such conversation between the two leaders, Trump responded, “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.”
The issue of Russian oil imports has become a key point of contention in trade talks between the United States and India.
Washington maintains that revenue from oil sales helps fund Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, while Trump has linked tariffs on Indian goods to what he calls New Delhi’s continued dependence on Russian energy.
According to his administration, nearly half of the 50 per cent tariffs imposed on Indian products are in retaliation for those purchases.
Trump had made similar remarks earlier in the week, saying Modi assured him that India would end its imports of Russian oil. India’s Ministry of External Affairs, however, said it was not aware of any such telephonic conversation on that day. The ministry reiterated that India’s energy policy is guided by the need to protect the interests of its consumers.
A White House official later said that India had reduced its imports of Russian oil by about half, though Indian sources maintained that no such immediate decline had taken place. They noted that Indian refiners had already booked cargoes for November and December deliveries, meaning any cuts would only become visible later in import data.
According to estimates by commodities data firm Kpler, India’s imports of Russian oil are expected to rise by around 20 per cent this month to 1.9 million barrels per day, as Moscow boosts exports following Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries. India remains the largest buyer of seaborne Russian crude sold at a discount, after Western countries stopped purchasing from Moscow in response to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
