Trump says Modi told him that India would stop buying Russian oil

President Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that India will stop buying Russian oil, a move that could be important to further pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I was not happy about India buying oil. He assured me today that they will not buy oil from Russia.” “This is a big step. Now we have to get China to do the same.”

Trump said the shift would happen “in a short period of time.”

The Indian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump announced in August that he would increase tariffs on India by 25% on its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total tariffs he imposed on New Delhi to 50%.

The president said that India’s purchases of Russian oil fuel Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. He has since called on European countries to make more efforts to limit their purchases of Russian oil.

This move increased tensions between the United States and India, and in September Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting that was seen as a rebuke to the United States.