US President Donald Trump has once again warned India of “massive tariffs” if it continues purchasing oil from Russia, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him of halting such imports a statement that New Delhi has strongly denied.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “He (PM Modi) told me, ‘I’m not going to be doing the Russian oil thing.’ But if they keep doing it, they’ll be paying massive tariffs.”
When asked about the Indian government’s response, which stated that it was unaware of any recent conversation between him and Prime Minister Modi, Trump replied, “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.”
His comments follow a statement made earlier in the Oval Office on Wednesday, where Trump said Prime Minister Modi had promised to stop oil purchases from Russia, calling it “a big step”. “India gets roughly one-third of its oil from Russia,” Trump said, adding that such imports contribute to Moscow’s ability to finance its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The US has been exerting increasing pressure on countries maintaining energy ties with Russia, arguing that revenues from oil exports are helping sustain President Vladimir Putin’s military operations.
However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly rejected Trump’s assertion. At a weekly press briefing on Thursday, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he was “unaware of any conversation” between Trump and Prime Minister Modi the previous day.
Jaiswal added that discussions between India and the United States on energy cooperation are continuing but did not confirm any agreement to halt Russian oil imports.
“There are continuous talks on deepening energy ties with the United States,” he said, without elaborating on whether India planned to change its import strategy.
Trump’s warning comes as India faces steep import tariffs from the United States, which he raised to 50 per cent earlier this year on several key exports, including textiles and pharmaceuticals. The president reiterated that the tariffs would remain, or even increase, if India continues buying Russian crude. “If they keep doing it, they’ll be paying massive tariffs,” he said again.
Russia has emerged as India’s largest oil supplier in recent years, providing about one-third of its total crude imports, according to data from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
India has defended its purchases as essential for maintaining energy security, particularly since Russian crude is available at discounted rates.
New Delhi has consistently maintained that its oil imports are guided by national interest and market considerations, not political alignments. It continues to source oil from multiple global suppliers, balancing its economic priorities with strategic partnerships.
