Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
“I talked to Prime Minister Modi of India and he said he’s not going to do that on Russian oil,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Asked about India’s claim that it had no knowledge of any conversation between Modi and Trump, Trump replied, “But if they want to say that, they will continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.”
Russian oil has been one of the main irritants for Trump in protracted trade talks with India – half of his 50% tariffs on Indian goods are in retaliation for those purchases. The US government has said that petroleum revenues finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.
India has become the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian oil sold at a discount after the West halted purchases and imposed sanctions on Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump said on Wednesday that Modi had assured him that day that India would stop buying Russian oil. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was not aware of any telephone conversation between the leaders that day, but said New Delhi’s main concern was “protecting the interests of Indian consumers”.
A White House official said on Thursday that India had halved its purchases of Russian oil, but Indian sources said no immediate cuts were seen.
Sources said Indian refiners have already placed orders for November loading, including some orders coming in December, so any cuts may start getting reflected in December or January import figures.
Russian oil imports to India will rise nearly 20% this month to 1.9 million barrels per day, according to estimates by commodity data firm Kpler, as Russia increased exports after Ukrainian drones attacked its refineries.
Also read: NHK says Japan’s LDP and Ishin agree to form coalition government