“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump said, reiterating what he said in the past week.
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his claim that India has agreed to restrict its Russian oil purchases. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US leader threatened to impose “massive tariffs” on Indian goods unless New Delhi agreed to his terms and halted its purchases.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” he said, reiterating what he said in the past week.
India last week rejected Trump’s claim that he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over New Delhi’s Russian oil imports. When asked about India’s assertion, he replied, “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.”
US Tariffs On India
The remarks came amid growing US pressure on Russia’s trade partners, particularly in the energy sector, which Washington argues indirectly funds Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
India has become the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian oil sold at a discount after Western nations shunned purchases and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Washington has already imposed a sweeping 50 per cent tariff on a large basket of Indian exports. The US tariffs – among the highest in the world – include a 25 per cent penalty for transactions with Russia that are a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly said that those duties would remain on India or even increase if New Delhi does not halt its crude trade with Moscow.
Trump’s Claims And India’s Reply
Trump last week said Prime Minister Modi had assured him that day that India would stop its Russian oil purchases.
India’s foreign ministry, however, rejected the claim, saying it was not aware of any telephone conversation between the leaders that day but said that New Delhi’s main concern was to “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer.”
A White House official said on Thursday that India has halved its purchases of Russian oil, but Indian sources said no immediate reduction had been seen.
The sources said 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.
