India casts doubt after Donald Trump claims its Russia oil buy to end

India 'broad-basing and diversifying' its sourcing of energy, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it was unaware of any new conversation between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hours after Trump claimed he spoke with the Indian leader, who pledged to halt Russian oil purchases. It noted that the last phone call between the two took place on October 9.

 

“To the best of our knowledge, I am not aware of any conversation between PM Modi and President Trump yesterday,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the MEA, told reporters at a briefing in New Delhi. The ministry emphasised that India is “broad-basing and diversifying” its sourcing of energy to meet market conditions. It noted that New Delhi’s discussions with the Trump administration to deepen energy cooperation are “ongoing,” and that India is also sourcing oil from Brazil, whose Vice President Geraldo Alckmin is visiting India. 

 

The MEA’s statement followed comments made by Trump at a White House event on Wednesday. “Modi is a great man. He assured me today they will not be buying oil from Russia. Maybe that’s a breaking story. It has started. You can’t do it immediately, there is a little bit of process but the process is going to be over soon,” claimed the US president.

 

He described Modi as a “friend” and a “great leader,” adding: “We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that lets Russia continue with this ridiculous war, where they’ve lost a million and a half people.”

 

In its statement on Thursday morning, the MEA said: “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. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”

 

The US has reportedly made a halt in Russian oil purchases a pre-condition for a trade deal. An Indian delegation led by Rajesh Agrawal is in Washington negotiating remaining contentious issues. Speaking on Wednesday, Agrawal said India is looking for a “win-win solution” for both sides that would also address the “tariff issue,” with New Delhi aiming to nearly double its energy purchases from the US from $12-13 billion at present. 

 

Addressing other diplomatic matters, Jaiswal in the Thursday evening press conference said the government has yet to take a final decision on Modi’s participation at the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, scheduled from October 26 to 28. Trump is expected to attend the summit.

 

Sources suggested that Modi’s attendance could depend on the progress of trade negotiations led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal in Washington and the prime minister’s schedule, which includes campaigning for the Bihar Assembly polls. Modi and Trump last met in February in Washington DC and recently have had phone calls on September 17 and October 9.

 

India, according to sources in New Delhi, is unlikely to completely stop Russian oil imports, though volumes have declined. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in the first week of December. The White House in August doubled its tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including 25 per cent additional duty for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Washington had argued that India was helping Russia finance the war in Ukraine. India, on the other hand, described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

 

Russian officials reaffirmed their energy ties with India. In New Delhi, Russian ambassador Denis Alipov said: “Russian crude oil remains the most cost effective option on the global market and Russia's energy ties with India are in tune with New Delhi's national interests. Russia has consistently honoured its commitments while showing flexibility in developing alternative logistics and payment systems in the face of attempts to disrupt this cooperation.” He noted that Russian crude accounts for around one-third of India’s total hydrocarbon imports and described Russia as India’s “most reliable energy partner,” with scope to enhance cooperation in defence, trade, connectivity, and technology. On Trump’s remarks, Alipov said: “This is a question for the Indian government (to answer).”

 

In Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia is confident that its energy cooperation with India will “continue. We continue to cooperate with our friendly partners. Our energy resource is in demand. It is economically viable and feasible,” responding to Trump’s claim.

 

Political war of words

 

Trump’s comments have also sparked domestic debate. The Congress alleged that Modi’s foreign policy has “completely collapsed,” with Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claiming that the PM is “frightened of Trump” and “allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil”. The BJP dismissed Gandhi’s remarks, saying that if Modi were truly afraid of Trump, the US president would not publicly describe him as a “great man” every few days to gain attention, adding that the Congress has historically failed to grasp what “India First” means. 

 

With agency inputs