After US President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports and called the Indian and Russian economies as “dead”, reports emerged that New Delhi has asked its refineries to stop purchasing crude oil from Russia, the main source of petroleum for the country. India is one of the largest importers of seaborne Russian crude and an important country for Moscow for revenue generation amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.
MEA responds to claims
In a report published by news agency Reuters, it was said that Indian state refiners have stopped buying Russian crude in the last week as discounts narrowed and Trump warned countries against buying oil from Moscow.
In response to the report, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday (August 1) said "India buys oil depending on market and global situation". It however did not elaborate on the issue.
While a Times of India report quoting a senior govt official said no such instructions have been given to oil companies.
Trump criticises India
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In a post on Truth Social, Trump also criticised India’s continued trade with Russia and its participation in the BRICS alliance.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together," Trump said in the post after announcing the levies on India.
The 25% tariff singles out India more harshly than other major US trading partners. It also risks undoing months of trade discussions and could strain the strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi, a relationship often seen as critical to countering China’s growing influence.

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