India has publicly cast doubt on claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would cease purchasing Russian oil. Trump stated on Wednesday that Modi had given him assurances "today" that India would put an end to its purchase of Russian oil. He told reporters that he "was not happy that India was buying oil, and he [Modi] has assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia". Trump added that this would be a process, but it would be over soon, and he would soon convince China to do the same.
However, on Thursday, Indian officials appeared to undermine Trump's account, stating that "no telephonic conversation between PM Modi and US President Trump yesterday" had occurred. Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), when questioned about Trump's assertion, stated he had no knowledge of such a discussion. He added that India's oil procurement decisions are driven by the need to protect Indian consumers amidst unstable energy markets. The MEA spokesperson did not confirm or deny whether a conversation took place between Modi and President Trump on Wednesday, since Trump claimed he spoke with the Prime Minister.
India has become one of the largest purchasers of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine, a point of contention with Washington in recent months. In August, the U.S. president imposed tariffs on India to penalize its purchase of Russian oil, accusing Delhi of helping to finance Russia's aggression in Ukraine. India is subject to an additional 25% import tariff, on top of a base of 25%. India has publicly stood firm, claiming it would not let the U.S. dictate its energy needs or interfere in its relationship with Russia, which dates back to the cold war. Russia remains the largest supplier of arms to India.
Despite the U.S. pressure, India has maintained that its priority is to safeguard the interests of its consumers. "Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy," Jaiswal said. He reiterated India's position since early 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, that this includes broad-basing the country's energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.
India has reaped significant benefit from its purchase of cut-price Russian oil since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, becoming one of its top purchasers globally, second only to China. However, it has led to a severe deterioration in US-India relations. The White House has increasingly sought to accuse Delhi of bankrolling the Russian president, Vladimir Putin's actions against Ukraine, describing the conflict as "Modi's war".
According to the latest Kpler report, Russian oil imports stood at approximately 1.6 million bpd, constituting 34% of India's total crude imports. India's overall crude imports in October have remained consistent with projections at 1.6 million bpd. The report indicates that Russian crude deliveries have decreased by 180,000 from the average volumes imported during the first eight months of 2025. The decline in imports is attributed solely to market conditions rather than U.S. tariff threats or European criticism regarding India's ongoing procurement of these oil supplies.
While not getting into the specifics of what has been discussed between Trump and Modi, a spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs said, “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 spokesperson added: “Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing".
