‘Big stop’: Trump says Modi vowed India won’t buy Russian oil as Ukraine talks intensify

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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil, a move Trump called a “big stop” in his efforts to isolate Moscow economically.

India and China are the two top buyers of Russian offshore crude exports, benefiting from the price concessions Russia has been forced to accept after European buyers declined purchases and the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump has recently targeted India for its purchases of Russian oil, imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the United States to discourage it from buying the country’s crude as he seeks to curb Russia’s oil revenues and pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.

“So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and today they assured me that they are not going to buy oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a White House event.

“This is a huge stop. Now we are going to do the same thing to China.”

The Indian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to emailed questions about whether Modi had made such a commitment to Trump.

An Indian pledge to stop buying Russian oil would mark a potential turning point in global energy diplomacy, as Washington steps up efforts to curb Moscow’s oil revenues amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

It would also signal a major shift by one of Moscow’s top energy consumers and could reshape the calculus for other countries still importing Russian crude.

It comes as Trump looks to leverage bilateral ties to enforce economic isolation, rather than relying solely on multilateral sanctions.

During his comments to reporters, Trump added that India could not stop the shipment “immediately”, calling it a “little process”, but that the process would be over soon. “

‘Ongoing Discussions’

Meanwhile, India has said its energy priority was in the interest of its citizens, after President Trump said New Delhi had promised it would stop buying Russian oil.

New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied that it is changing its policy towards Russia.

“Protecting the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy landscape has been our constant priority,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, said in a statement.

“Our import policies are fully guided by this objective.”

Despite Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi has previously defended India’s oil purchases from Russia, a historic partner.

After Trump raised tariffs on Indian exports to the United States by 50 percent in August, Trump aides accused India of fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secure supplies have been the twin objectives of our energy policy,” Jaiswal added.

“This includes broadening our energy sourcing and diversifying appropriately to meet market conditions.”

India, one of the world’s largest crude oil importers, depends on foreign suppliers for more than 85 percent of its oil requirements.

New Delhi was traditionally dependent on Middle Eastern countries.

But since 2022, it has increasingly shifted to discounted Russian crude, taking advantage of the buyer’s market created by the Western embargo on Moscow’s exports.

“As far as the U.S. is concerned, we have tried to increase our energy purchases for many years,” Jaiswal said.

“It has grown steadily over the past decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”

‘Eight Wars’

Responding to a question, US President Donald Trump said, “I have stopped eight wars so far, and added that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif told him that he had saved millions of lives.”

Trump also said that seven aircraft were shot down during the Pakistan-India war and that the two countries have come very close to a nuclear conflict.

Prime Minister Shehbaz on Monday described Trump as a “real man” who had worked relentlessly and relentlessly to end global conflicts, including the war in Gaza.

Standing alongside the US president and other world leaders at a Sharm el-Sheikh press conference, Shehbaz said peace had been achieved after months of Trump-led diplomacy, making the world a “place of peace and prosperity”.

He said that Pakistan had earlier nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “outstanding and extraordinary contribution” in preventing a possible war and achieving a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

“Today, once again, I would like to [re-]Nominate this great president [Trump] For the Nobel Peace Prize. Because I genuinely feel that he is the most deserving candidate,” Prime Minister Shehbaz said while addressing the Gaza Peace Conference earlier this week.

“Through their efforts in Gaza, they have brought peace to millions not only in South Asia, but also in the Middle East.”

The prime minister praised Trump as “the man the world needed at this time”, adding that history will remember him as the leader who “stopped seven and today, eight wars.”

“If it weren’t for that gentleman [Trump]”A full-scale war could have broken out between the two nuclear powers,” Shahbaz said. His timely intervention prevented the disaster. “

The prime minister also said that Trump’s “vision and exemplary leadership” had made him a symbol of hope and peace for the world, and that his name would be “remembered in golden words.”

The nuclear-armed rivals fired missiles, drones and artillery during four days of fighting—their worst in decades—in the aftermath of an April attack on tourists in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before a ceasefire was agreed to by the United States.

Pakistan has denied involvement in the April attack and has offered to participate in an independent and credible investigation.