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India has cast doubt on claims by Donald Trump that its prime minister, Narendra Modi, had agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed that Modi had assured him “today” that India would put an end to its purchase of Russian oil.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he [Modi] has assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. You know, you can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” Trump told reporters, before claiming he would soon convince China of the same thing.
However, in a press briefing on Thursday Indian officials appeared to undermine the US president’s account, stating that there was “no telephonic conversation between PM Modi and US President Trump yesterday”.
India, which maintains a strong relationship with the Kremlin, has become one of the biggest purchasers of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine.
It has been a significant source of contention with Washington in recent months since Trump failed to secure a peace deal with Russia. In August, the US president imposed some of his highest tariffs on India to penalise its purchase of Russian oil as he accused Delhi of helping to finance Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. India is subject to additional 25% import tariffs, on top of a base of 25%.
India has publicly stood firm, claiming it would not let the US dictate its energy needs or interfere in its relationship with Russia, which dates back to the cold war. Russia remains the largest supplier of arms to India.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Indian government said discussions with the US over trade and tariffs were ongoing. A statement by the Indian ministry of external affairs said the priority was to “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario” and that all policies were dictated by the imperative to diversify and secure India’s energy sources.
India has reaped significant benefit from its purchase of cut-price Russian oil since the Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, becoming one of its top purchasers globally, second only to China.
However, it has led to a severe deterioration in US-India relations. The White House has increasingly sought to accuse Delhi of bankrolling the Russian president, Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukraine, describing the conflict as “Modi’s war”.
However, on Wednesday the US president spoke glowingly of Modi. ““Modi is a great man. He loves Trump,” he said.
