President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil as the United States seeks to tighten financial controls over the Kremlin as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters he had received assurances from Modi that India would stop its purchases “within a short period of time,” which he called a “big stop.”
A spokeswoman for the Indian Embassy in Washington declined to comment. The US president tried to use India's purchases of Russian oil in his trade war, but New Delhi resisted, creating a diplomatic rift.
Oil and gas are Russia's largest exports, and Moscow's biggest clients are China, India and Türkiye.
“Now I need to get China to do the same,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
His administration is also pushing Beijing and other trading partners to stop buying oil from Russia, part of a broader campaign to cut off Moscow's energy financing.
India cannot “immediately” cut off oil supplies, Trump said, adding that the shift will be “a small process, but the process will be completed soon.”
The Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on goods from India, which Trump described as punishing New Delhi for buying Russian oil and weapons.
The tariffs, which took effect in August and are among the highest in the world, include a 25 percent penalty on transactions with Russia that are a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine.
Modi has stood his ground for months, insisting that India is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war despite his country's ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Indian officials have called the Trump administration's accusations that New Delhi is profiting from Russia's war in Ukraine a double standard, citing ongoing trade with Russia in the United States and Europe.
India relies on Russian crude oil, which Delhi continues to buy at a discount, to support its economy, the world's fifth largest.
The dispute over Russian oil has strained relations between Trump and Modi, although the US president on Wednesday praised the Indian leader as a “great man”.
Modi said last week that he had spoken with Trump and that they had “reviewed the good progress made in trade negotiations.”
