India has strongly refuted claims made by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte regarding a purported phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has declared Rutte's statement as "factually incorrect and entirely baseless".

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the issue in New York, emphasizing that "At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested. No such conversation has taken place". The MEA has urged the NATO leadership to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in their public statements, deeming "speculative or careless remarks" that misrepresent the Prime Minister's engagements as unacceptable.

Rutte's original statement, made during an interview with CNN on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, alleged that new tariffs imposed by the United States were impacting Russia, leading to India contacting Russia to discuss the matter. Specifically, Rutte claimed that Modi was asking Putin to explain his strategy in Ukraine because India was being affected by the tariffs. The United States had announced these new tariffs in August 2025.

In addition to denying the Modi-Putin conversation, Jaiswal also addressed India's energy imports from Russia. He stated that these imports are intended to ensure "predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer". He affirmed that India would continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.