India Refuted Trump's Statement

New Delhi knows nothing about the conversation between the U.S. president and the Indian prime minister.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly promised to stop buying Russian oil. If true, this would represent a significant concession to India in trade talks with the United States, writes The Washington Post (translated by Charter97.org).

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Modi "promised me today that they would not buy oil from Russia." However, Indian officials have not confirmed that such a conversation took place, nor have they made an official statement about the cessation of purchases.

Indian negotiators had previously told the U.S. unofficially of their intention to reduce purchases of Russian oil, but were reluctant to announce it publicly because of a possible domestic political backlash, The Washington Post reported.

India had been buying Russian oil in small quantities before the war in Ukraine. Since 2023, New Delhi has been the largest buyer of Russian oil because of low prices. In August, Trump raised duties on Indian goods to 50 percent in retaliation for Russian oil purchases, straining trade relations between the countries.

Trump emphasized that buying Russian oil "allows Russia to continue this absurd war where a million and a half people have died." He called Modi's alleged promise a "big step" and added that now China must be persuaded to do the same.

In India, Trump's statement drew criticism from the opposition. Congress party spokesman Jairam Ramesh wrote on social media that Modi was allegedly "shifting key decisions to America" and added that his influence had "diminished."

Russian oil purchases remain a strategic issue for India. Reliance Industries, the largest importer, has purchased about $33 billion of oil since the start of the war in Ukraine, accounting for about 8% of Russia's export sales during that period.

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