'They'll just pay massive tariffs': Donald Trump's fresh warning to India over Russian oil purchase

Trump has reiterated his claim that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised him to stop buying Russian oil even after New Delhi rejected such an assertion.

Speaking to the reporters, the President said, "I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he's not going to be doing the Russian oil thing."

On India's rejection of such a claim, Trump said, "But if they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that."

Earlier this week, Trump had made similar claims to be only rejected by India.

Speaking at a press conference, Trump had lauded Modi's long term as the PM contrary to his predecessors before claiming India will suspend buying energy from its all-weather friend Russia.

Trump had said, "He has assured me that there will be no oil purchase from Russia. I don't know, maybe that's a breaking story... He's not buying his oil from Russia, it's started.. We can do it immediately but it's a little bit of a process which is going to be over soon and all we want from President Putin is to stop killing Ukrainians and Russians because he is killing a lot of Russians."

"If India doesn't buy oil, it makes it much easier and they have assured me that they will not be buying oil from Russia within a short period of time and they will go back to Russia after the war is over."

Responding to the claims, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, "On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders."

In its initial response to Trump's claim, the MEA had said India prioritises the interest of the Indians underlining its policy of diversifying sourcing of energy to meet market conditions.

The statement reads, "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."

"Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," it added.

The Trump administration, which was earlier viewed as India-friendly, has slapped a 25 percent tariff on the South Asian country for its high tariffs on American exports and another 25 percent for purchasing oil from Russia, which is fighting a war against Ukraine.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began in early 2022, India significantly increased its imports of discounted Russian crude oil—now comprising over 30 percent of its total crude imports.

Indian refineries then export refined petroleum products globally, which critics, especially in the U.S., argue indirectly supports Russia’s war effort by funneling money into its economy.

In response, the US proposed tariffs and trade measures targeting India’s exports to discourage this behavior.

India said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

Modi unequivocally said India won't compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and livestock rearers.