“Modi assured me India will halt oil purchases from Russia,” says Donald Trump

New Delhi/Washington (The Uttam Hindu): Disagreements persist between India and the United States over the purchase of oil from Russia. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has added to the controversy with a new statement. Trump has stated that India will soon stop purchasing oil from Russia. He claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally assured him of this. Trump described this as part of his strategy to exert economic pressure on Russia and said that this could be used to isolate Russia internationally.

Trump claims India will stop buying oil from Russia; says PM Modi made the promise. : Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that Prime Minister Modi is his "close friend" and the two have a strong relationship. He further said that Modi has promised that India will no longer buy oil from Russia. According to Trump, this decision will be a big and important step, and now he wants China to take steps in this direction as well.

Trump also mentioned the recent conversation between US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Prime Minister Modi. He said that Sergio told him that Modi has a positive attitude towards him. Trump said that he has been following Indian politics for a long time and now, under Modi's leadership, the country is moving towards stability. He added that this approach by India will not be effective immediately, but its impact will be felt gradually.

However, the Indian government has yet to confirm this claim. The Indian Embassy in Washington has also not commented on the matter.

According to reports, India is the second largest buyer of oil from Russia, after China. To increase pressure on Russia following the Ukraine war, US President Trump recently imposed a 50 percent tariff on India, which includes an additional 25 percent duty on Russian oil purchases. The Trump administration alleges that by purchasing oil from Russia, India and China are indirectly funding the Ukraine war.