US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that India has reportedly halted the purchase of Russian oil and called it a “good step" if it turns out to be true.
The remarks came just days after Washington imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods and warned of additional penalties over New Delhi’s continued trade with Russia, particularly in arms and crude oil.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard, I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens," Trump told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday stated that India’s energy purchases are driven by market forces and national interests, adding that it had no information about any specific move by Indian oil companies to halt Russian imports.
“Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. India and Russia have a steady and time-tested partnership," the MEA said.
The clarification came amid reports that Indian state-run refiners had recently stopped buying Russian crude, citing reduced price advantages and growing pressure from the US, which has cautioned against oil trade with Moscow.
India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and the buyer of seaborne Russian crude.
Earlier, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised India for continuing to import discounted Russian oil despite Western sanctions linked to the Ukraine conflict. On
On Wednesday, Trump announced a 25 per cent additional import duty on Indian goods, along with other penalties aimed at discouraging trade ties with Moscow.
According to a Reuters report, major Indian state-run refiners — including Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd — have not placed any orders for Russian crude in the past week.
