Trump claimed India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil. New Delhi says it knows nothing about it

[Thiệu Ngô]

India has seemingly pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim it had agreed to stop importing Russian oil, signaling the issue that has strained ties is unlikely to be resolved soon.

By Rhea Mogul

Trump on Wednesday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured me today that they (India) will not be buying oil from Russia,” which is subject to US sanctions, describing it as a “big step.”

But on Thursday India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters he was “not aware of any conversation” between Trump and Modi, or any assurance from the Indian leader that he would stop purchasing Russian oil.

Earlier in the day, India’s foreign ministry said the country was a “significant importer of oil and gas,” without naming Russia nor referencing Modi’s purported assurance.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” the statement said.

India has long maintained close ties with the Kremlin and is due to host Russian President Vladimir Putin later this year. It has emerged as one of the top buyers of Russian oil since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The war sparked massive sanctions against Moscow’s oil industry and sent prices cratering.

For months, New Delhi has resisted Trump’s calls to cease purchasing Russian oil, saying it would not bend over the energy needs of its booming economy and growing population, now at more than 1.4 billion people.

In August, Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on India as a penalty for importing Russian oil and gas, building on a previously announced 25% tariff rate.

It would be almost impossible for India to suddenly halt purchases of crude from Russia, its largest supplier, said Muyu Xu, a senior oil analyst at trade intelligence firm Kpler.

Russia delivered roughly 1.7–1.8 million barrels per day, according to Xu, who cited figures covering the first nine months of this year.

“I don’t think India can stop buying Russian oil overnight. The volumes are simply too large,” she told CNN. “Replacing that volume from the spot market is no easy task. Beyond the sheer quantity, differences in crude quality and refinery yields make substitution far from a one for one swap.”

Data from Kpler shows state-owned refiners trimmed back Russian purchases in recent months, while some private players increased their intake of Russian barrels.

The state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited purchased 10.35 million barrels of Russian oil in January compared to 4.62 million barrels in September, data from Kpler shows. So far in October, Indian Oil Corporation Limited purchased 7.03 million barrels, the data showed.

CNN has contacted Indian Oil Corporation Limited to ask if it plans to continue purchasing Russian oil and the factors guiding their strategy of sourcing from Russia.

Modi’s refusal to kowtow to US pressure plays to his political brand built around the image of a strong leader helming an India that is focused on its own interests on the world stage.

In recent weeks, officials from New Delhi and Washington have focused on diplomacy to get the relationship back on track, with trade delegations focusing on closing a deal.

Earlier this month, Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged that India “has issues with the United States,” attributing a significant portion of the friction to unresolved trade negotiations.

He noted that the two countries “have not arrived at a landing ground for our trade discussions,” but said that India is actively working to find a solution.

“Those issues need to be negotiated and discussed and resolved, which is exactly what we are trying to do,” he said.