'He's not going to buy much oil from Russia': Donald Trump claims PM Modi is cutting crude ties

Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to scale back India’s Russian oil imports, signaling a shift in New Delhi’s energy policy—despite no confirmation from the Indian government.

Speaking during Diwali celebrations at the White House, the U.S. president said, “He's not going to buy much oil from Russia… They’ve cut it way back, and they’re continuing to cut it way back.”

Trump also said Modi, like himself, “wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine to end.”

India has not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks. In earlier statements, New Delhi dismissed similar claims, stating, “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.” The Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated that India’s import strategy is guided solely by economic needs, not political pressure.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India has emerged as one of the top importers of discounted Russian crude. Russian oil currently accounts for about a third of India’s total imports, despite sustained U.S. efforts to curb those flows.

Trump’s comments on Modi came alongside his broader criticism of foreign trade partners. Addressing U.S.-China trade, Trump announced new tariffs: “Right now, as of November 1st, China will have about 155% tariffs put on it. I don’t think it’s sustainable for them.” He blamed previous U.S. administrations for weak economic policies, saying, “They allowed China and every other country to take advantage of us.”

Trump touted his past trade deals with the EU, Japan, and South Korea, saying tariffs were critical to achieving “national security” and boosting U.S. revenue: “We’re getting hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars paid into the United States… We’ll start paying off debt.”