New Delhi disputes Trumps claim about Modis Russian oil assurance

India's Foreign Ministry on Thursday pushed back against US President Donald Trump's assertion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had"assured"him that New Delhi would stop buying oil from Russia. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters he was "not aware" of any conversation between the two leaders.

His comments came hours after New Delhi issued a formal statement saying its primary goal when it comes to the energy trade was to protect the interests of its consumers in the volatile energy market, and that its import policies were driven solely by this objective.

The Foreign Ministry also pointed out India has been expanding energy procurement from the US and that discussions are ongoing to deepen energy cooperation.

While addressing reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Modi had "assured" him that India would stop buying Russian oil.

"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. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing," Trump said.

Since 2022, India has substantially increased its oil imports from Russia despite mounting pressure from Washington and its allies. According to Kpler data, in September, Russia accounted for 34% of India's total oil imports. New Delhi has repeatedly defended its Russia crude buys as essential for energy security.

In late September, Russia was still India's top supplier, providing roughly one-third of India's crude imports (about 1.6 million barrels per day), according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters and other outlets.

Private companies in India have been taking advantage of discounted Russian oil prices and then exporting refined oil products to European markets. Last year, New Delhi emerged as the largest exporter of petroleum products to Europe.

In August, the White House announced an additional 25% tariff on US imports from India tied to India's "direct or indirect" purchases of Russian oil - on top of earlier tariffs - bringing the total tariff burden cited by several outlets to as high as 50% in some cases. India publicly criticized the move as "unfair" and said it would act to protect its national interests.

(RT.com)