‘Gives his own self-serving interpretation’: Kanwal Sibal on Trump’s claim that PM Modi said no more Russian oil

Donald Trump misleads and assigns his own interpretations to conversations, said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. He was referring to Trump’s claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that India would not buy Russian oil anymore. 

“This is the problem of dealing with him. He misleads. Gives his own self-serving interpretation to conversations,” said Sibal. 

This comes after Trump asserted that Modi has promised to halt Indian oil imports from Russia in what he described as a significant policy change. Speaking to reporters on October 15, Trump stated, "We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that lets Russia continue with this ridiculous war... He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia." 

Trump referred to Modi as "a great friend and a great man," and described the commitment as "a big stop." India has not officially commented on Trump's claims or confirmed any change in its current oil import arrangements with Russia.

Russia is currently India's largest supplier of crude oil, delivering about 1.62 million barrels per day in September – nearly a third of India's total imports. Trump acknowledged the transition away from Russian oil may take time, saying, "It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over soon." The Trump administration recently raised tariffs on Indian exports from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, citing concerns over India's energy trade with Russia.

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, leading an Indian delegation in Washington to negotiate tariff reductions, highlighted ongoing energy trade with the US. "Our energy purchases in the past have also touched $23–24 billion. Right now, we are at an average of $12–13 billion annually," Agarwal said.