US President Donald Trump seems to be on loop over his big assertion that India won't be doing oil trade with Russia anymore. On Monday, the Republican repeated the claim again, reiterating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told him that he "is not going to be doing the Russian oil thing".
"I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he's not going to be doing the Russian oil thing," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. This is the third time in five days that the US President has made this assertion.
When asked about India denying that him and Modi held a phone call regarding New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil, Trump said: “But if they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that,” reported news agency Reuters.
Trump's latest remark coincides with the ongoing trade negotiations between India and the US, in the backdrop of his 50% tariffs on Indian imports. He had announced 25% of these duties, that took effect back in August, as additional penalties on India for its oil trade with Russia. The move was seen as an attempt to put pressure on Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.
Several Trump administration officials had earlier claimed that India made “huge” profits on the sale of Russian oil during and after the war, while also claiming that the oil purchase saw a big jump after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Trump says ‘Modi assured’ him on Russian oil
{{/usCountry}}Several Trump administration officials had earlier claimed that India made “huge” profits on the sale of Russian oil during and after the war, while also claiming that the oil purchase saw a big jump after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Trump says ‘Modi assured’ him on Russian oil
{{/usCountry}}Donald Trump’s bold remark on India’s oil trade with Russia drew global attention last week, as he claimed the energy trade would soon stop. “...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," Trump had said.
Further sharing a timeline of how the oil trade would end, Trump said that the change wouldn't take place immediately, but “within a short period of time", as it was a "little bit of a process".
Later, during his bilateral lunch with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump repeated the claim again. “Well, India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore," he said.
How India reacted, ‘denied’ Trump-Modi call
Hours after Donald Trump first claimed that India would end its oil trade with Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement, clarifying its stance on energy sourcing.
"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. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," the statement read.
When asked if there was a phone call between PM Modi and Donald Trump, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had clearly refused, saying, “I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders.”