US President Donald Trump has renewed his warning that India could face “massive" tariffs unless it curbs its purchases of Russian oil, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him that New Delhi would stop such imports.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “PM (Modi) told me, ‘I’m not going to be doing the Russian oil thing.’ But if they keep doing it, they’ll be paying massive tariffs."
When asked about the Indian government’s response that it was unaware of any recent conversation between him and PM Modi, Trump 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."
His latest remarks come after his unusual statement in the Oval Office on Wednesday, where Trump said Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, calling it “a big step."
Trump’s latest comments on India’s oil trade with Russia have sparked global attention, with the US President asserting that the energy trade would soon come to an end.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step," Trump had said.
Outlining a possible timeline, Trump added that the shift would not happen instantly but “within a short period of time," describing it as “a little bit of a process."
Reiterating his claim during a bilateral lunch with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said, “Well, India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore."
Hours after US President Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian crude oil, New Delhi had clarified that it is focused on “broad-basing and diversifying" its energy sourcing to suit market conditions.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he was not aware of any recent phone conversation between the two leaders. He added that India’s oil imports are guided by the need to safeguard consumer interests amid a “volatile" global energy market.
“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions," Jaiswal said.
A White House official said on Thursday that Indian 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.
India's imports of Russian oil are set to rise about 20% this month to 1.9 million barrels per day, according to estimates from commodities data firm Kpler, as Russia ramps up exports after Ukrainian drones hit its refineries.
Russian oil has been one of the main irritants for Trump in prolonged trade talks with India - half of his 50% tariffs on Indian goods are in retaliation for those purchases. The US government has said petroleum revenue funds Russia’s war 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.