Days after he claimed that India would soon pause its Russian oil trade, US President Donald Trump has intensified the claim, now saying India has “largely stopped” the purchase.
Trump made the remarks on Friday during his White House media interaction, and even indicated that he may visit India next year. “They (trade talks with India) are going good, he stopped buying oil from Russia largely. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go…,” Trump said.
Trump’s latest claim on the future of the India-Russia energy ties comes in the backdrop of ongoing trade negotiations between New Delhi and Washington, and Russian oil is central to that discussion.
Trump had imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports, that took effect back in August. While there has been shift in Trump’s tone towards India since then, he remains on the demand that India must stop Russian oil trade.
Half of the tariffs were imposed on India citing its energy deals with Russia. The sweeping duties were being seen as a way to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine.
India became the largest buyer of Russian crude after the US first imposed sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. In the first nine months of 2025, India reportedly imported 1.7 million barrels per day, accounting for 34% of its total crude imports.
Trump had earlier claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “assured” him that India would soon stop its oil trade with Russia. “…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 first said in October, and repeated the claim several times after that.
However, India had denied Trump’s Russian oil claim saying it wasn’t aware of any phone call between the President and PM Modi. “On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.
Donald Trump’s latest claim, however, marks a shift. He now asserts that India has “largely” stopped purchasing oil, whereas earlier he had said the measure was still in progress.
Trump’s remarks also follow the US’s sanctions on two Russian oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, in a bid to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine.
India had said that it was examining the impact of the US sanctions, adding that “our decisions will naturally consider the changing dynamics of the global market”.
