New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “frightened” of US President Donald Trump, claiming the American leader has been allowed to dictate India’s stance on Russian oil imports. Gandhi accused Modi of letting Trump “decide and announce” that India would halt purchases of Russian oil and of continuing to send him congratulatory messages “despite repeated snubs.”
His remarks followed Trump’s statement that his “friend” Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia—a move the former US president described as a “big step” in ramping up pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
“PM Modi is frightened of Trump. He allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. He keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. He cancelled the Finance Minister’s visit to America, skipped Sharm el-Sheikh, and doesn’t contradict him on Operation Sindoor,” Gandhi said on X.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh also criticised the Modi government over the issue, pointing to what he described as India’s “outsourced decision-making” to Washington.
“At 5:37 PM IST on May 10, 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to announce that India had halted Operation Sindoor. Since then, President Trump has claimed 51 times across five countries that he intervened to stop the operation using tariffs and trade as leverage. Yet our Prime Minister remained silent,” Ramesh wrote on X.
“Now President Trump says Mr. Modi has assured him that India will no longer import Russian oil. Mr. Modi seems to have outsourced key national decisions to America. The so-called 56-inch chest has shrunk and shrivelled,” he added.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that the US was unhappy with India’s continued purchase of Russian crude, saying such trade helped fund President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship. But we weren’t happy with him buying oil from Russia because that allowed Russia to continue this ridiculous war where they’ve lost a million and a half people,” Trump said.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” he added.
According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India is the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels after China. The world’s third-largest oil importer, India had traditionally relied on Middle Eastern crude but sharply increased its imports from Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of discounted rates amid Western sanctions and shrinking European demand.
India’s Russian oil imports have risen from less than 1% to nearly 40% of total crude purchases in just a few years. New Delhi has consistently defended its policy, asserting that its energy imports are guided by national security and affordability, and that its position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains independent and balanced.
