NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Thursday clarified that there was no telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump yesterday.”On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during his weekly briefing.
This statement comes following Trump’s recent remarks about India’s oil imports from Russia. Earlier, Trump had claimed that PM Modi assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, calling it “a big step” towards increasing global pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.Also read: India reacts to Trump’s claim on Russian oil; cites ‘twin goals’On late Wednesday, when asked whether Trump views India as a reliable partner, Trump said: “Yeah, sure. He’s (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship.. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.” Responding to these comments, the MEA in an earlier statement highlighted that India’s energy policy is guided strictly by national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers amid volatile markets. The ministry reiterated that India is a significant importer of oil and gas, with a long-standing priority to ensure stable prices and secure supplies through diversified sourcing. “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” the MEA said earlier.