WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him New Delhi will stop purchasing Russian oil, while warning that India will continue facing “massive” tariffs if it fails to do so.
“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 aboard Air Force One.
When asked about India’s claim that it was unaware of any recent conversation between Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump, Trump responded, “If they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs — and they don’t want to do that.”
Russian oil has been a major sticking point in ongoing trade tensions between the two countries. Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, with half of those reportedly in retaliation for India’s continued imports of Russian crude.
The US maintains that revenue from petroleum sales is funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since 2022, Western nations have sanctioned Moscow and halted Russian oil purchases, while India has emerged as the largest buyer of discounted seaborne Russian crude.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed that Modi had personally assured him that India would cease its Russian oil imports. However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was unaware of any such phone call, adding that its priority remains “safeguarding the interests of the Indian consumer.”
A White House official stated on Thursday that India has reduced its Russian oil imports by half, though Indian sources said no significant decline has been observed so far.
Indian refiners already placed orders for November loading, including some slated for December arrival, so any cut may start showing up in December or January import numbers, Reuters news agency reported, quoting sources.
India’s imports of Russian oil are expected to increase by around 20% this month, reaching 1.9 million barrels per day, according to estimates from commodities analytics firm Kpler. The rise comes as Russia boosts its exports following drone attacks by Ukraine on its refineries.
