(Bloomberg) – India’s foreign ministry said it’s unaware of a conversation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, hours after the U.S. leader said he spoke with his Indian counterpart, who pledged to halt Russian oil purchases.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
“To the best of our knowledge, I am not aware of any conversation between PM Modi and President Trump yesterday,” Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters at a briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.
US-India relations have been strained since Trump imposed a 50% tariff on goods from the South Asian nation, a move the president cast as a punishment for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian crude. On Wednesday, Trump signaled a possible resolution to the issue by telling reporters at the White House that Modi had committed to not buying oil from Russia.
In a statement earlier Thursday, Jaiswal didn’t confirm that India is complying with Trump’s demands, although said that New Delhi is working to deepen energy ties with the U.S.
Modi’s government has previously indicated the country would keep buying Russian oil if it is economically viable, and Jaiswal reiterated on Thursday that consumer interests remain a top priority in shaping India’s energy import policy.
India became a major importer of Russian crude after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, and has been able to scoop-up deliveries at discounts to other suppliers. Purchases of Russian oil fell slightly last month, but still made up one-third of India’s overall imports in spite of the U.S. push to curb flows.
On Thursday, several executives from state-owned Indian refiners said they were caught off guard by Trump’s comments. The executives, who asked not to be named as they’re not authorized to speak publicly, said they hadn’t been briefed by New Delhi or any ministries on the matter. Three executives said Indian imports of Russian oil would drop in the short term.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Thursday he is confident India will continue buying nation’s crude despite U.S. pressures, as it is economically viable.
Different versions
India has disputed Trump’s version of events in the past. The U.S. president has said several times that he used trade as leverage to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May — an assertion Modi and his officials have repeatedly denied but Islamabad has embraced.
While India was among the first countries to begin trade negotiations with the U.S. earlier this year, its goods now face the highest tariffs in Asia.
In recent weeks, the two sides have taken steps to repair relations. Trump and Modi spoke last week to review trade talks, and negotiators from New Delhi are currently in the U.S. to clinch a deal they say may come as soon as November.
Trump said Wednesday that India could not stop the purchases of Russian oil “immediately,” adding that “it’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon.”
