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WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed he was assured by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday that New Delhi was tapering its purchase of Russian oil to help stop the Russia-Ukraine war, but the external affairs ministry in Delhi denied knowledge of any such conversation.In Washington, in his customary freewheeling banter with pool reporters in the White House, Trump indicated that India’s pledge was conveyed through the new US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who was present in the Oval Office to brief the president about his meeting with Modi and India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) earlier this week in New Delhi.“He’s assured me, there will be no oil purchase from Russia. I don’t know. Maybe that’s a breaking story. Can I say that? Would you say there will be no oil?” Trump said, waving towards Gor, and adding, “He’s not buying his oil from Russia.”New Delhi responded with a carefully worded statement that “it has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario” and that it is broad-basing its energy sourcing. While there was no explicit denial by India of Trump’s claim, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did say that he wasn’t aware of any conversation between Modi and Trump on Wednesday. India also didn’t confirm if there was any discussion on this issue when the leaders last spoke, on October 9.‘Modi loves Trump… he is a great leader’, says US presidentIndia also didn’t confirm if there was any discussion on this issue when the leaders last spoke, on October 9. The MEA statement didn’t directly refer to Trump’s remarks and the ministry said it was responding to media queries on comments on India’s energy sourcing. India’s response also underscored the fact that as far as the US is concerned, India has for years sought to expand its energy procurement. “This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current government has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” said the official.Trump also conceded that India’s oil purchases may not stop immediately. “It started… It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” he said, adding that he would also try and get China to stop buying Russian oil in an effort to stop the war. Once this oil revenue spigot for Moscow is turned off and war is over, Trump indicated India could go back to purchasing Russian oil.His hypothesis that Moscow would end the war if it does not get oil revenues from India and China is among the reasons holding up a trade deal between Washington and New Delhi. Both sides are said to be close to an agreement, with India indicating it is open to stepping up US energy purchases even as it draws down on buying Russian oil, although officials privately fumethe Trump’s performative public diplomacy tends to queer the pitch.Trump called Modi a “great man” and India “an incredible country”, and claimed that “he (Modi) loves Trump”. “Now, I don’t know if the word love… I don’t want you to take that any different… I don’t want to destroy his political career, but you have to understand… I’ve watched India for years… every single year you’d have a new leader. I mean, some would be in there for a few months, and this was year after year after year. And my friend has been there now for a long time, and he is, and he’s assured me, there will be no oil purchase from Russia,” the US president said.
