Washington/New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has renewed pressure on India over its imports of Russian oil, warning that New Delhi could face “massive” tariffs if it continues to purchase crude from Moscow. The president also reiterated his claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally assured him that India would halt such imports — a statement India has categorically denied.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, repeating a claim he made earlier this week. When informed that India had no record of such a conversation, Trump retorted, “If they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs — and they don’t want to do that.”
The comments come amid Washington’s ongoing effort to curb global trade with Russia, particularly in the energy sector, which the US maintains is helping fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
India, however, has pushed back strongly. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed Trump’s remarks, reaffirming that India’s energy policy is driven by the need to protect domestic consumers.
“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,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
He emphasized India’s twin goals of ensuring both price stability and secure supplies: “This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”
Trump’s latest warning follows a series of tariff hikes on Indian goods earlier this year — with import duties raised to 50% on several categories, including textiles and pharmaceuticals.
Despite the tensions, officials confirmed that discussions on expanding bilateral energy cooperation with the US remain ongoing.
