New Delhi: There has been no telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in the last 48 hours, the Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday, casting doubts over claims made by the American leader.
The comments by the Indian government came after Trump, at a press interaction in the Oval Office, claimed that Modi “assured” him that there would be no further purchases of Russian oil by India in a conversation Wednesday.
“I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” Randhir Jaiswal, the MEA official spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing. Trump has consistently aimed at New Delhi’s continued purchase of oil from Russia in the last few months.
The American President had sought a reduction in India’s purchases of Russian oil to reduce Moscow’s revenues, impact its ability to continue the war in Ukraine, and reduce the US-India trade deficit via increased trade.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters, “So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he [Modi] assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia.” The American President announced the focus is now to pressure China to reduce its purchase of Russian oil.”
On Thursday morning, India first responded to Trump’s claim of a reduction in its Russian oil purchases, declaring that it was the country’s “consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario”.
Since the war between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022, India’s purchase of Russian oil has increased significantly. In the last financial year—2024-2025—India purchased almost $56 billion of crude oil from Russia. The significant increase in Russian oil purchases is largely due to the oil price cap imposed by the G7 nations since the end of 2022.
The G7 price cap was why Russia could not sell more than a $60-worth barrel of oil—an attempt by Western nations to reduce Moscow’s revenues from its oil sales but not by upending the global energy market.
However, a few months ago, the European Union (EU) introduced a further cap on Russian oil, reducing the price to nearly $46 a barrel. The price cap has made Russian crude price-friendly for the Indian consumer.
Trump also took issue with the cap his predecessor had introduced to protect India’s interests, as well as to stabilise energy markets. Peter Navarro, the White House Trade Counsellor, a couple of months ago, declared that the Russia-Ukraine war was “Modi’s war”, in an attempt to pressure India to reduce the Russian crude purchases.
Some Indian refiners have reportedly moved away from Russian crude. However, the Indian government has given no direction to companies to do so. Indian officials are currently in Washington, D.C., for talks over trade.
Trump earlier imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, as a measure against New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil, as well as to reduce India’s large trade surplus vis-à-vis the US. The tariffs came into effect at the end of August.
Overall, the India-US relationship has seen bilateral mechanisms continue to function at different levels of the government, despite tensions at the political level. Between June and September, Modi and Trump did not speak with one another, until the American President called the Indian Prime Minister to wish him for his seventy-fifth birthday last month.
Earlier this month, the two leaders had a second conversation in as many months.
Time will say whether the discussion will help the two countries come together on issues of trade and energy.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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