US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to cease purchasing oil from Russia. Trump added that his next objective is to persuade China to follow suit, as the US intensifies its efforts to curb Moscow’s energy revenues.
India and China are the largest buyers of Russian seaborne crude, taking advantage of discounted prices after European buyers halted purchases and the US and EU imposed sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reports BBC.
Trump has been vocal in criticizing India for its continued Russian oil purchases, even imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the US to discourage the country from buying crude. He stated that he aims to pressure Moscow into negotiating a peace deal in Ukraine.
“I wasn’t happy that India was buying oil, and he (Modi) assured me today that they will stop buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a White House event. “That’s a big step. Now, we’ll get China to do the same thing.”
The Indian embassy in Washington has not responded to inquiries regarding whether Modi made such a commitment to Trump.
Later on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that during a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato, he made it clear that the Trump administration expects Japan to cease importing Russian energy. “Minister Kato and I also discussed critical issues related to the US-Japan economic relationship and the administration’s expectation that Japan stop importing Russian energy,” Bessent posted on X.
Russia remains India’s largest oil supplier. In September, Moscow exported 1.62 million barrels per day to India, accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s oil imports. For months, Modi resisted US pressure, with Indian officials defending the purchases as essential for national energy security.
While imports from alternative suppliers would likely increase costs for India, falling oil prices, including a recent dip in Brent crude futures, could help alleviate some of the impact.
If India halts oil imports from Russia, it would represent a significant shift from one of Moscow’s major energy customers and could influence other nations still importing Russian crude. Trump hopes to leverage bilateral relationships to enforce economic isolation on Russia, rather than relying solely on multilateral sanctions.
This announcement comes shortly after Trump’s newly appointed Indian ambassador, Sergio Gor, met with Modi to discuss defense, trade, and technology matters. Gor, a close ally of Trump, is seen as key to strengthening US-India ties.
Trump emphasized that India’s shift would not be immediate, noting, “It’s a bit of a process, but it will be over soon.”
Despite his pressure on India, Trump has avoided putting similar demands on China. The US-China trade war has complicated diplomatic relations, with Trump cautious about further escalating tensions by calling for a halt to Chinese energy imports from Russia.
Earlier this summer, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on India after the two countries failed to reach a trade agreement. He later added another 25% tariff due to India’s continued Russian oil purchases, a move that India opposed, especially since other top Russian oil buyers, like China and Turkey, were not subject to similar tariffs.
