‘India reducing Russian oil imports,’ Trump repeats claim

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that India was reducing its oil imports from Russia, referencing a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi held during Diwali celebrations at the White House.

“I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do, the war between Russia and Ukraine. They’ve cut it way back and are continuing to cut it way back,” Trump said.

New Delhi has not officially responded to Trump’s statement. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi thanked the US President for his Diwali greetings and described their conversation as “warm.”

India has previously dismissed similar claims, emphasising that its energy purchases are driven solely by domestic priorities.

“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,” the government stated.

In the same address, Trump announced steep new tariffs on China, saying that from 1 November, Chinese imports would face duties of “about 155 per cent.”

“I want to be nice to China, but China has been very rough with us for years because we had presidents who weren’t smart from a business standpoint,” Trump said.

“I made deals with the EU, Japan, and South Korea, great deals that protect our national security. Thanks to tariffs, we’re getting hundreds of billions, even trillions, paid into the United States. We’ll start paying off debt,” he added.

Trump’s remarks come amid ongoing tensions over global energy markets and trade relations, highlighting Washington’s focus on both Russia’s war in Ukraine and longstanding trade disputes with Beijing.

With Agency Inputs