A senior Indian official has challenged President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned him to announce India would stop buying Russian oil. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Thursday that he was unaware of any such conversation. He added that discussions with the United States on energy cooperation are ongoing but gave no indication that India plans to end oil imports from Russia.
“India is a major importer of oil and gas, and our policies are guided by the need to protect Indian consumers in a volatile energy market,” Jaiswal said. His comments directly contradicted Trump’s statement from the Oval Office on Wednesday, where the US president hailed Modi’s supposed commitment as “a big step.”
India currently sources around one-third of its crude oil from Russia, its largest supplier. Trump’s claim is seen as part of his effort to tighten economic pressure on Moscow.
Former diplomats described the incident as a sign of the complex and cautious nature of US-India relations. Syed Akbaruddin, India’s former UN ambassador, called it “classic pressure politics,” noting that India seeks cooperation with Washington but will not be seen as yielding to American demands.
