India Will Reduce Russian Oil Imports By Year-End, Claims Trump
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday (local time) that India will significantly reduce Russian oil imports by the end of the year, citing assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
President Trump also said that the process of phasing out oil imports from Russia will be “gradual”, claiming that India will reduce these imports to “almost zero” by the end of the year.
“As you know, India told me they’re going to stop. It’s a process; you can’t just stop it. But by the end of the year, they’re going to be almost zero. That’s a big thing, almost 40 percent of the oil. India has been great. I talked to Prime Minister Modi yesterday and they were absolutely great,” President Trump said during an interaction with media at the White House while hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
However, India rejects any deal, stressing its priority to protect consumer interests. The country’s energy policy prioritizes stable prices and secure supply. Trump called on New Delhi to diversify its energy sources by imposing a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods.
US President Donald Trump, who continued his criticism of India’s purchase of Russian oil, said earlier on Monday that he would continue to pay customs duties until New Delhi stops its imports from Moscow.
Trump was asked about India’s rejection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to him during the press lark on Air Force One.
“So if they say that, they will continue to pay a lot of tariffs, but I don’t believe they are saying that. No, I spoke to Prime Minister Modi of India and he said he will not do the Russian oil business,” he said.
Trump added: “But if they want to say that, then they’re going to keep paying huge tariffs and they don’t want to do that.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced that there was no phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump the previous day.
When asked about Trump’s claim that India will stop buying Russian Oil, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two leaders did not have any phone conversation on Wednesday.
“On the question of whether there was a conversation or a phone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. I am not aware of any conversation between the two leaders yesterday,” he said.
Jaiswal stated that the two leaders met on October 9, during which Prime Minister Modi congratulated Trump on the success of the Gaza peace plan.
Trump, meanwhile, acknowledged China’s complicated relationship with Russia, attributing it to past U.S. policies.
“China is a little different. Their relationship with Russia was a little different. It was never good, but they had to come together because of Biden and Obama; they should never have been forced together, but they cannot be friends by nature. I hope they are friends, frankly. You should not have forced China and Russia together. Biden did this, Obama did that. They brought them together because of energy, oil.”
Speaking about his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US president said he would “probably” talk to his Chinese counterpart about Russian imports, but his main focus would be on how to end the war with Russia and Ukraine.
“I’ll probably talk about that. What I’ll really talk about is how we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it’s through energy, oil or whatever. I think he (Xi Jinping) will be very understanding. I think he’ll want to see the end of the war,” Trump said.
President Trump also said he was hopeful that the Chinese President could have “great influence” in encouraging Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
“I think he could have a big impact on Putin. I think he could have a big impact on a lot of people. He’s a well-respected man, a very strong leader, a very big country. I think he could have a big impact,” Trump added.
