‘India not going to buy Russian oil…’, Trump repeats claim during meeting with Zelensky

A day after India responded to US President Donald Trump’s comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “assurance” to halt Russian oil purchases, Trump on Friday (local time) reiterated his claim, claiming that New Delhi had already “de-escalated and more or less stopped” oil purchases from Moscow.

Speaking at a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, the US President once again claimed that India had significantly reduced its oil imports from Russia and has now withdrawn completely, stating that New Delhi “will no longer buy oil from Russia”.

“India will no longer buy Russian oil, and Hungary is kind of stuck because there’s a pipeline that’s been there for years, and they’re inland; they don’t have a sea, and I’ve talked to their leaders… but India will not buy oil from Russia,” Trump said.

“They’ve already de-escalated and more or less stopped. They’re pulling back. They bought about 38 percent of the oil and they’re not going to do that anymore,” he added.

Trump’s remarks referred to ongoing geopolitical pressure on countries to reduce energy ties with Russia following the conflict in Ukraine, which the West claims has fueled Moscow’s military operation in the region.

Earlier on Thursday, India responded to Trump’s comments about Prime Minister Modi assuring him to halt oil purchases from Russia, stating that the country’s energy resources were driven by its own national interest and the need to protect Indian consumers.

In his response, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “India is a major importer of oil and gas. Protecting the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario has been our consistent priority. Our import policies are fully guided by this objective. The twin objectives of our energy policy have been to ensure stable energy prices and secure supply. This aims to broad base our energy resources and meet the market includes diversification. conditions.”

“In the case of the United States, we have sought to expand our energy supply for many years. This has progressed steadily over the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” he added.

This comes after President Trump said Prime Minister Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, calling it a “major step” in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.

Trump made these statements at a joint press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel in the Oval Office; where the two highlighted the administration’s efforts to curb violent crime.

Responding to ANI’s question whether he sees India as a reliable partner, Trump said, “Yes, of course. He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is a friend of mine. We have a great relationship… I was not happy about India buying oil. And today he assured me that they will not buy oil from Russia. This is a big stop. Now we have to make China do the same…”

Trump also criticized India’s previous import of oil from Russia, saying, “We are not happy about India importing oil from Russia, because it causes Russia to continue this ridiculous war, in the meantime they lost one and a half million people. Russia lost one and a half million people, mostly soldiers.”

While Washington continues to encourage New Delhi to diversify its energy sources, India has long argued that oil imports from Moscow are essential for economic stability.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)