US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) made a huge claim and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India will soon stop importing oil from Russia. Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington.
According to Trump, India's decision to stop buying Russian oil will help in stopping the war in Ukraine that broke out in February 2022. In his remarks, the 79-year-old Republican president said he would also urge China to stop buying Russian oil.
"He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship... we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they've lost a million and a half people," Trump said. "I was not happy that India was buying oil, and (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."
India's Russian oil purchase and West's criticism
India, along with China, remains the top buyer of oil from Russia. The entire West, particularly the United States (US), has been critical of India's purchase and blamed New Delhi for fueling the Ukraine conflict.
However, India has remained firm on its move and consistently defended the decision to buy Russian oil, saying it would take every step possible to protect its national interest.
"It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it," External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar had said, speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025 in August this year.
Trump says India to halt Russian oil imports, but what the data says?
Though Trump says that India will soon stop purchasing Russian crude, data suggest a different tale. According to the latest figures compiled by Kpler - a Belgian commodities and shipping market tracker - Russia remained India's top oil supplier, accounting for 34 per cent of total crude imports of New Delhi.
However, the data suggest that there has been a 10 per cent reduction in India's Russian oil imports compared to January. According to Kpler, the crude imports in India from Russia stood at 4.5 million barrels per day in September this year, which was 70,000 more barrels than the imports in August.
Similar estimations were also made by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which said India bought Russian oil worth Rs 25,597 crore in September. "In September, India remained the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, importing a total of EUR 3.6 billion. Crude oil dominated India’s purchases at 77 per cent (EUR 2.5 billion), followed by coal at 13 per cent (EUR 452 million) and oil products at 10 per cent (EUR 344 million)," the CREA said in a statement.
The US has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian crude. This has taken the total tariffs on New Delhi to 50 per cent. Many of Trump's aides, particularly White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, have also blamed India for "funding" Russia's war, but Indian ministers, including Jaishankar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, have called the tariffs "unfair and unreasonable".
