Trump says Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil

President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil as the US seeks to put economic pressure on the Kremlin as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters he had received assurances from Modi that India would stop its purchases “within a short period of time,” which he called a “big stop.”

A spokeswoman for the Indian embassy in Washington declined to comment. The US president tried to use India’s purchases of Russian oil in his trade war, but Delhi resisted, creating a diplomatic rift.

Oil and gas are Russia’s biggest exports, and Moscow’s biggest customers are China, India and Turkey.

“Now I have to get China to do the same,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as part of his administration’s broader push to end Moscow’s energy funding.

The Trump administration has also been pushing for Japan to freeze oil and gas imports from Russia, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he communicated that “expectation” to visiting Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato on Wednesday.

India cannot “immediately” cut off oil supplies, Trump said, adding that the change would be “a bit of a process, but the process will be over soon.”

The Trump administration has imposed 50 percent tariffs on goods from India, charges that Trump has characterized as punishment against Delhi for buying Russian oil and weapons.

The tariffs – which took effect in August and are among the highest in the world – include a 25% penalty on transactions with Russia, which are a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine.

Modi has for months defended his position, arguing that India is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war despite his country’s ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Indian officials have called the Trump administration’s accusations that Delhi is profiting from Russia’s war in Ukraine a double standard, citing continued trade with Russia in the US and Europe.

India relies on Russian crude, which Delhi continues to buy at a discount, to prop up its economy, the world’s fifth largest.

The dispute over Russian oil has strained relations between Trump and Modi, although the US president on Wednesday praised the Indian leader as a “great man”.

Modi said last week that he had spoken with Trump and that they “reviewed the good progress made in trade talks”.