Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that India has “de-escalated” its purchases of Russian oil, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
“India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore. They have already de-escalated and are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of their oil from Russia, and they won’t be doing it anymore,” Trump said.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed he had been “assured” that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, while acknowledging that the process could not happen “immediately.”
“He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia… It takes some time, but the process will be over soon. All we want from President Putin is to stop this,” he stated.
Trump added that India halting Russian oil imports would make it “much easier” to end the ongoing conflict.
“Within a short period of time, India will not be buying oil from Russia. They can resume after the war is over,” he said, also describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great man” and India as “an incredible country.”
However, India on Thursday denied Trump’s claim of having a recent phone conversation between him and Prime Minister Modi.
When asked about the alleged discussion, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing:
“Regarding the comment from the US on the energy issue, we have already issued a statement, which you can refer to. As for the telephonic conversation, there has been no discussion between the Prime Minister and President Trump.”
While India has become one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian crude in recent years, China remains Moscow’s biggest energy customer.
In August, the Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for continuing oil purchases from Russia, but took no similar action against China.
Trump’s remarks came as an Indian trade delegation arrived in Washington for the next round of bilateral negotiations.
On Wednesday, India’s Commerce Ministry said the country could increase imports of crude oil and natural gas from the US by $12–13 billion without modifying refinery configurations, emphasizing efforts to diversify its energy sources “at the right price.”
The trade talks come shortly after newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor met Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi.
