 "In 2019, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the \"Howdy, Modi!\" event at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. File image/AFP")
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “assured” him that India would “stop” buying Russian oil in a bid to isolate Moscow as the Ukraine war rages on.
“I think they were great…Modi is a great man. He (Sergio Gor) told me that he (PM Modi) loves Trump…I have watched India for years. It’s an incredible country and every single year you would have a new leader. 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’s assured me there will be no oil purchases from Russia…He’s not buying his oil from Russia…He can’t do it immediately," Trump said in a response to a question by ANI.
The purchase of Russian oil has been a point of contention between India and the US, with the latter accusing New Delhi of “feeding Russia’s war machine” by purchasing its oil. Trump has slammed 50 per cent tariffs on India over this.
However, India has stood firm against pressure from Trump to stop purchasing Russian oil, stating it will continue to secure energy based on the most favourable rates and logistical factors.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump’s comments come days after Sergio Gor , the Ambassador-designate of the US to India, met PM Modi in New Delhi last weekend.
In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Glad to receive Mr. Sergio Gor, Ambassador-designate of the US to India. I’m confident that his tenure will further strengthen the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.”
The purchase of Russian oil and the subsequent tariffs by the US strained ties between New Delhi and Washington in the past couple of months. However, last month, Trump shifted his tone towards India, after repeatedly slamming the country for buying Russian oil, calling its economy “dead” and warning that the US “lost” New Delhi to China after PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the SCO Summit.
Following his remark on India, China and Russia, Trump backtracked and called PM Modi his “good friend”.