The Kremlin and New Delhi sought to tamp down remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday after he claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state-run Tass agency that Moscow is "guided by the official statements" of India and China when it comes to oil purchases.
Trump said Wednesday at the White House that Modi "assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia," adding, "He's not buying his oil from Russia." The president said the change would occur "within a short period of time," emphasizing that he considered Modi "a friend of mine."
India's Ministry of External Affairs neither confirmed nor denied Trump's statement, issuing a brief response focused on domestic priorities. "India is a significant importer of oil and gas," ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. "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." He added that India aims to "ensure stable energy prices and secured supplies" by broadening its sourcing and diversifying imports "as appropriate to meet market conditions."
Peskov, speaking Thursday, signaled skepticism toward Trump's assertion, noting that Moscow would continue to rely on the official positions of India and China. He added that while Trump had repeatedly expressed an intent to persuade countries to stop buying Russian oil, "the positions of these countries needed to be taken into account."
India, the world's third-largest oil importer, has sharply increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Those imports now account for about one-third of India's total crude supply. In August, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods-on top of an existing 25% levy-citing India's continued oil trade with Moscow. The move strained relations between the two countries as New Delhi pointed out that China had faced no similar penalties despite buying even larger volumes of Russian energy.
Several Indian refiners have begun preparing for a gradual reduction in Russian crude purchases, according to Reuters, but officials have emphasized that any changes will proceed based on market conditions. Trade data cited by Bloomberg shows India has already increased imports from the United States by 11% in September and is exploring additional supplies from sanctioned Iranian and Venezuelan sources to offset potential shortfalls.
Jaiswal also noted that discussions with Washington on energy cooperation were ongoing. "Where the U.S. is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement," he said. "The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing."
