On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump has praised PM Narendra Modi, calling him a “great man” and his “friend”, while asserting that India had assured him it would stop purchasing Russian Oil.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump described Modi’s long tenure and leadership in India. Modi “is a great man. He loves Trump.” Clarifying quickly, Trump further said, “I don't want you to take the word "love" any differently. I don't want to destroy his political career”. He went on saying, “I have watched India for years. It's an incredible country, and every single year you would have a new leader. My friend has been there now for a long time.”
Trump asserted that Modi had assured him of stopping Russian oil imports, as a measure to pressure Moscow amid the current conflict in Ukraine. "He assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia. You know, you can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon," he said.
MEA responds
India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded cautiously, emphasising that New Delhi’s priority remains safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers amid volatile energy remarks. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. 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.”
Trump criticises Russian oil purchases amid Ukraine war
India's ongoing import of Russian oil has put a strain on supplies with Washington, with Trump condemning the imports for funding President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. " 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 explained, suggesting that India might be free to trade with Russia as soon as the war is over. “All we want from President Putin is to stop this, stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians because he's killing a lot of Russians. It is a war he should have won in one week, and now it is going into its fourth year”, he further said.
India becomes second-largest buyer of Russian crude
According to Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India is the world's second-largest purchaser of Russian fossil fuels after China, following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sanctions and low European demand kept Russian crude at deep discounts, sending Indian imports from below 1% to nearly 40% of its overall crude imports.
New Delhi-Washington relations have been strained in recent years, especially after Trump slapped extra tariffs on Indian products, including crude oil imports, which India termed "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable."
