SRINAGAR: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him India will stop purchasing oil from Russia a move he described as a “big step” towards intensifying pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday, as per Reuters, Trump said the United States was “not happy” with India’s continued imports of Russian crude, arguing such purchases helped fund President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
“He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship… we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they’ve lost a million and a half people,” Trump said.
According to Trump, Modi assured him that India “will not be buying oil from Russia” and called the decision “a big step”. He added, “Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.”
India currently ranks as the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels after China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Describing Modi as “a great man”, Trump said, “He loves Trump… I don’t want you to take the word love any differently… I don’t want to destroy his political career.” Praising the Indian leader’s stability, he remarked that India had previously seen frequent leadership changes before Modi’s long tenure.
Trump further claimed that India’s phase-out of Russian crude was already underway. “He can’t do it immediately; it’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” he said, suggesting that the country could resume trade with Moscow once the conflict ends.
India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, sharply increased its purchases of discounted Russian oil following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Western sanctions and reduced European demand had made Russian crude cheaper, raising its share in India’s total oil imports from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent.
