Trump Claims Modi Pledged to halt Russian Oil Purchases
US President Donald Trump says India’s Prime minister Narendra Modi has pledged to stop buying oil from Russia, as the president pledges to try and get China to do the same, as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
India and China are the two top buyers of Russian seaborne crude exports,taking advantage of the discounted prices Russia has been forced to accept after losing sales following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Mr trump has recently targeted India for its Russian oil purchases, imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the US to discourage the country’s crude buying as he seeks to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.
“So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he [Modi] assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Mr Trump told reporters during a White House event on Wednesday.
“That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing.”
The Indian embassy in Washington did not promptly respond to emailed questions about whether Mr modi had made such a commitment.
Later on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he told Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato at a meeting in Washington that the Trump administration expected Japan to stop importing Russian energy.
“Minister Kato and I also discussed vital issues pertaining to the US-Japan economic relationship and the Administration’s expectation that Japan stop importing Russian energy,” Mr Bessent said on X.
The Japanese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia is India’s top oil supplier. Moscow exported 1.62 million barrels per day to India in September, roughly one third of the country’s oil imports.
2025/10/16 15:26:42