US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a great man and a friend, while saying India had assured him that it would stop buying oil from Russia.
Donald Trump described the move as a big step to pressure Moscow over the ongoing war in Ukraine, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long tenure and leadership in India.
Modi "is a great man. He loves Trump," the US president said, referring to himself in the third person while speaking to reporters in his Oval Office.
I don't want to destroy his political career, Trump said of Modi.
I have been observing India for years. It's an incredible country, and every year you'll have a new leader, Trump said, adding: "My friend has been there a long time."
Trump then claimed that the prime minister had promised him that New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil, months after the United States imposed punitive tariffs on those purchases.
He assured me there would be no oil purchased from Russia, Trump told reporters.
"You know, you can't do it immediately. It's a small process, but the process will end soon," the US president added to reporters.
"India is a major importer of oil and gas. Our constant priority has been to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are entirely guided by this objective," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
"Ensuring stable energy prices and security of supplies have been the dual objectives of our energy policy. This includes expanding our energy supply and diversifying, where necessary, to respond to market conditions," the statement added.
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"As for the United States, we have been seeking to increase our energy purchases for many years. This has progressed steadily over the past decade. The current administration has expressed interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he said.
India's continued purchase of petroleum products from Russia, despite Western sanctions, has become a major issue that has led to a serious deterioration in relations between New Delhi and Washington.
Speaking to reporters in his Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the United States was not happy about India buying Russian crude, arguing that such purchases helped finance President Vladimir Putin's war.
"He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship... we were not happy that he was buying oil from Russia because it allowed Russia to continue this ridiculous war where they lost a million and a half people," the US president said in response to a question.
India is the second largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels behind China, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The US president suggested that the US wanted India to stop its purchases of Russian crude with the sole aim of putting financial pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
All we want from President Putin is to stop this, to stop killing Ukrainians and to stop killing Russians, because he is killing a lot of Russians. It's a war he should have won in a week, and it's now entering its fourth year, he said.
He said India could resume energy trade with Moscow once the Russo-Ukrainian war ends.
If India doesn't buy oil, that makes it a lot easier, and they won't buy, they assured me they will, in a short period of time, they won't buy oil from Russia... And they will return to Russia after the war is over, he said.
Traditionally dependent on Middle Eastern oil, India, the world's third largest oil importer, significantly increased its imports from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Western sanctions and falling European demand have made Russian oil available at deeply discounted prices. As a result, India's imports of Russian crude increased from less than 1 percent to almost 40 percent of its total crude oil imports in a short period of time.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington came under strain after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, including an additional 25 percent duty on India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
India called the US action "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".