Trump Reiterates Claim That India Will “Almost Stop” Buying Russian Oil by Year-End
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that India has agreed to “stop” purchasing oil from Russia and will reduce its imports to “almost nothing” by the end of the year, though he acknowledged the process would take time.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he would also urge China — another major buyer of Russian crude — to curb its imports.
“India, as you know, has told me they are going to stop buying Russian oil. It’s a process — you can’t just stop immediately. By the end of the year, they’ll be down to almost nothing, maybe around 40 percent of what they used to buy. India’s been great. I spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi yesterday — absolutely great,” Trump said.
The president has repeatedly claimed in recent days that India assured him it would significantly scale back oil imports from Russia.
Commenting on China’s stance, Trump said Beijing’s relationship with Moscow had historically been strained but improved due to policies under previous US administrations.
“China is a little different. Their relationship with Russia was never good, but Biden and Obama forced them together because of energy and oil. They shouldn’t be close by nature, but now they are. They’re closer than they would normally be,” he remarked.
Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea later this month, where he said the Russia-Ukraine war would be a key topic of discussion.
“What I’ll really be talking to him about is how to end the war between Russia and Ukraine — whether through oil, energy, or something else. I think he’ll be very receptive,” Trump added.
Defending his trade policy, Trump credited tariffs for bolstering the US economy.
“We’re doing so well right now because of tariffs. For decades, tariffs were used against us, and it hurt our country — that’s why we owe $37 trillion. But now, tariffs are making us rich. We’re taking in money like never before,” he said.
Asserting that tariffs are crucial to America’s prosperity, Trump declared, “Without tariffs, the US would become a third-world country. I can’t let that happen. With tariffs, we’re rich and secure — without them, we’d be a laughing stock.”
Trump also claimed that tariffs have helped prevent military conflicts.
“I solved eight wars — five or six of them because of tariffs,” he said, repeating his earlier claim that he intervened to stop a potential conflict between India and Pakistan.
According to Trump, he told both nations: “If you want to fight, that’s fine, but you’re going to pay tariffs.” He added, “Two days later, they called and said they’re not fighting anymore. They have peace.”
However, India has consistently maintained that the ceasefire with Pakistan in May was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries — not due to any external mediation.
Tensions between New Delhi and Washington have escalated since Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, including a 25 percent additional duty on imports linked to Russian crude purchases. India has described the move as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”
US officials have repeatedly accused India of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its continued purchase of discounted Russian oil — a claim New Delhi has rejected.
