United States President Donald Trump on Friday reitrated that India would not buy oil from Russia as he held arms talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the war in Ukraine.
During the bilateral lunch with Zelenskyy, Trump defended Hungary for continuing its imports but repeated the claim that India would stop the purchase of oil from Russia. “Well, India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore,” the US President said, adding that “they’ve already deescalated”.
But he shifted his stance when the conversation turned to Hungary, a NATO member that relies heavily on Russian crude.
“Hungary is sort of stuck because they have one pipeline that’s been there for years and years and years,” he said. “They’re inland — they don’t have sea. It’s very hard for them to get oil. I understand it,” Trump said.
“They already de-escalated and more or less stopped. They are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they wouldn’t be doing it anymore,” he added.
Earlier in the week, Trump addressed reporters at the White House, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given assurances about ending India’s purchases of Russian oil.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop,” Trump said.
MEA Reacts To Trump’s Russian Oil Claims
Responding to Trump’s assertions, India reiterated that protecting the interests of its citizens remains its top priority during unstable global energy markets. New Delhi stated that the energy imports “are guided entirely by this objective”.
“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,” a statement by the External Affairs ministry said.
The ministry further noted India’s “twin energy goals” of ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he was “not aware” of any phone call between Modi and Trump on Wednesday. “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,” he said.
Trump has enforced sweeping tariffs on India, including a 50 per cent levy and an additional 25 per cent duty, stemming from India’s previous purchases of Russian oil.
