Trump claims 'India halting Russian oil purchases completely,' days after speaking to PM Modi

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Oct 25) once again said that India is halting its Russian oil imports “completely”, while China is cutting back its purchase “substantially.”. Ahead of his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump said that he hopes that the discussions with Chinese counterpart would yield a “complete deal." This comes despite New Delhi stating that it takes decisions to “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumers in a volatile energy scenario.” Beijing has not yet commented on the matter

Earlier, Trump revealed that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about trade as he extended Diwali wishes to him. Trump, during Diwali event at the White House, reiterated that PM Modi has reassured him that India would lower its Russian oil imports. Trump also called PM Modi a "great friend". The event was attended by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, FBI chief Kash Patel and intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard, besides the new US envoy to India Sergio Gor and other prominent Indian American business leaders.

On Oct 22, he repeated the claims and said that India will "sharply reduce" its imports of Russian oil by the end of this year, citing a personal assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to reporters at the White House during a meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said the reduction would be gradual but significant.

"India, as you know, told me that they would stop. It is a process; you can't just stop it. But by the end of the year, they will be down to almost nothing. That's a big thing," the President said. "India has been great. Spoke to Prime Minister Modi yesterday, and they have been absolutely great," Trump said, adding that the phase-out would be gradual to ensure stability in global markets.