‘Big Step’:Trump Claims PM Modi Assured India Will Stop Buying Russian Oil
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him India would stop purchasing Russian oil, calling it a “big step” in Washington’s campaign to choke off Moscow’s war revenues from energy exports. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had conveyed his displeasure over India’s continued intake of Russian crude. “I was not happy that India was buying oil,” he said, adding, “He (PM Narendra Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing.” While hailing Modi as a “friend” and a “great leader,” Trump stressed that the move would take time to implement.
“He’s not buying his oil from Russia. He can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over soon,” he said.New Delhi has not confirmed the claim, and India’s long‑standing position has been that crude procurement decisions are driven by energy security and market economics. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has repeatedly defended India’s purchases since Western sanctions upended global trade flows, arguing that Indian refiners comply with international regulations, including the G7 price cap, and that critics are free not to buy Indian refined products if they object.
India emerged as one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian crude after 2022, with shipments accounting for roughly a third of its total oil imports according to trade data cited widely in recent months. Officials in New Delhi have maintained that purchases are lawful and essential to shield domestic consumers from price shocks.Trump framed the reported assurance as part of a broader diplomatic push to isolate Russia’s energy revenue streams, saying the next objective was to persuade China to halt purchases.
The comments come days after Trump’s ambassador‑designate to India, Sergio Gor, met Modi in New Delhi, a signal of continuity in close ties even amid friction over energy and trade. Trump praised the meeting and lauded Modi’s leadership, saying, “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top.”Any significant reduction in India’s Russian oil intake would mark a notable shift in global crude flows, complicating Moscow’s sales strategy and forcing Indian refiners to rebalance toward Middle Eastern, US, and West African grades. Analysts caution, however, that such a pivot would hinge on price, freight, and availability, and could face headwinds if alternate supplies are costlier.
For Washington, an Indian move away from Russian barrels would bolster sanctions efficacy and set a precedent for other major buyers, although Beijing’s stance remains pivotal to the overall impact.For now, the divergence between Trump’s assertion and New Delhi’s silence leaves key questions unanswered: whether any commitment was made, what timelines and conditions would apply, and how India would cushion the domestic impact. With energy security a core political and economic priority in India, any recalibration is likely to be measured, phased, and heavily contingent on market dynamics and geopolitical trade‑offs.
