Trump repeats India promised to end Russian oil trade, reacts to MEA denying call with Modi
Donald Trump repeatedly asserted that PM Modi promised to halt India's Russian oil imports, a claim India explicitly denies. This comes amidst US-India trade negotiations and proposed tariffs by Trump, aiming to pressure Moscow.
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump continues to assert that India will cease its oil trade with Russia, a claim he reiterated on Monday, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him of this decision. This marks the third time in five days that Trump has made this assertion, despite India's explicit denials of such a conversation.
"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 pressed about India's refutation of a phone call between the two leaders concerning New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil, Trump responded, "But if they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that,” according to Reuters.
This ongoing claim by Trump coincides with current trade negotiations between India and the US, which are occurring against the backdrop of proposed 50 per cent tariffs by Trump on Indian imports. Trump had previously announced 25 per cent of these duties, effective since August, as additional penalties specifically targeting India's oil trade with Russia, an effort to exert pressure on Moscow amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Trump's initial bold remark last week, claiming the energy trade would cease, had garnered significant global attention. He had stated, "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."
He further elaborated that the cessation would not be immediate but would occur "within a short period of time," describing it as a "little bit of a process." Trump repeated this claim again during a bilateral meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating, "Well, India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore."
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India had issued a statement clarifying its position. When questioned about a phone call between Prime Minister Modi and Donald Trump, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clearly stated, "I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders."
The ministry emphasised that India, as a significant importer of oil and gas, consistently prioritises safeguarding the interests of its consumers in a volatile energy market, and its import policies are guided solely by this objective.