India disputes Trump’s claim about Modi’s Russian oil assurance

India’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that New Delhi would stop buying oil from Russia. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters he was “not aware” of any conversation between the two leaders.

His comments came hours after New Delhi issued a formal statement saying its primary goal regarding energy trade is to protect the interests of its consumers in the volatile energy market, and that its import policies are driven solely by this objective.

The Foreign Ministry added that India has been expanding energy purchases from the US, and that discussions are ongoing to deepen cooperation. 

Addressing reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Modi “assured” him that India would stop buying Russian oil.

“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. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” Trump said.

Since 2022, India has substantially increased its oil imports from Russia despite mounting pressure from Washington and its allies. According to Kpler data, in September, Russia accounted for 34% of India’s total oil imports. New Delhi has repeatedly defended its Russian oil purchases as essential for energy security.

In late September, Russia was still India’s top supplier, providing around one-third of India’s crude imports (around 1.6 million barrels per day), according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters and other outlets.

Private companies in India have been taking advantage of discounted Russian oil prices and exporting refined oil products to European markets. Last year, New Delhi emerged as the largest exporter of petroleum products to Europe.

In August, the White House announced an additional 25% tariff on US imports from India tied to India’s “direct or indirect” purchases of Russian oil – on top of earlier tariffs – bringing the total tariff burden cited by several outlets to as high as 50% in some cases. India publicly criticized the move and said it would act to protect its national interests.