A top Indian official cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned to say his country would end its purchases of Russian oil.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters during a weekly media briefing Thursday that he was unaware of a conversation between Trump and Modi the previous day. He also said in a statement that “discussions are ongoing” about deepening energy cooperation with the United States but did not confirm Trump’s assertion that India is ending its purchases of Russian oil.
“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,” Jaiswal said. “Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.”
Jaiswal’s remarks are in contrast to Trump’s unexpected announcement in the Oval Office on Wednesday that Modi had assured him “they will not be buying oil from Russia,” which the president hailed as “a big step.” India gets roughly one-third of its oil from Russia, its largest supplier. The Trump administration has asserted that Russia is using Indian oil purchases to finance its war with Ukraine.
