New Delhi| Following a series of earlier disputed statements about India, former U.S. Presnewident Donald Trump on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia — a step Trump described as a major move to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war. Trump added that the shift would take time but that the process had begun.
New Delhi quickly rejected the claim. India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he had no information of any such conversation between Modi and Trump on Wednesday.
Russia, meanwhile, defended its ties with India on energy. Denis Alipov, Russia’s ambassador to India, described Russian oil as one of the world’s most affordable options and said energy cooperation with New Delhi aligns with India’s national interests. In Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak expressed confidence that energy collaboration would continue, calling the partnership economically viable and saying he expected ongoing dialogue and cooperation to deepen.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal added that India is actively negotiating trade agreements with several partners, including the United States, Oman and the European Union, and remains an attractive destination for investment.
On the political front, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of being intimidated by Trump and suggested Modi had effectively ceded the decision over purchasing Russian oil to the former U.S. president.
Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening, in a roughly two-hour call. He posted that Putin congratulated him on efforts to halt the Israel–Gaza fighting and that the two discussed potential post-conflict trade between the U.S. and Russia. The leaders’ senior advisers are expected to meet next week, and Trump and Putin plan to meet in Budapest thereafter. Trump is also scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and warned that continued Hamas killings in Gaza would leave few options besides decisive action.
Discussion about this post