Trump says Modi assured him India will stop Russian oil purchases, but timeline unclear

By Admin

16 Oct, 2025

In a significant geopolitical development, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India will stop buying oil from Russia. Trump, speaking at a press briefing in the Oval Office, described the commitment as a “big stop,” although he acknowledged that the transition will take time.

“[Modi] assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop,” Trump said, adding, “Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.” The U.S. president emphasized Washington’s dissatisfaction with New Delhi’s purchases of Russian crude, noting that such transactions indirectly support Moscow’s “ridiculous war” in Ukraine.

However, Trump also made it clear that the move would not happen overnight. “There will be a little bit of a process,” he said, without offering a specific timeline for when India would completely cease imports. CNBC reached out to India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for clarification, but no immediate comment was received.

India’s oil trade with Russia has long been a point of contention between Washington and New Delhi. The issue intensified after Trump imposed additional tariffs of 25% on India in August, bringing the total levy to 50%. Meanwhile, India has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for maintaining its own commercial ties with Russia, calling out the perceived double standards in global trade relations.

Trump suggested that reducing India’s reliance on Russian oil could help accelerate efforts to end the war in Ukraine. “If India doesn’t buy [Russian] oil, it makes [ending the war] much easier,” he stated. The U.S. president also hinted that New Delhi may reconsider purchasing Russian crude only after the conflict concludes.

As global energy politics evolve, India’s next steps will be closely watched. The country, one of the world’s largest energy consumers, has maintained that its oil purchases are driven by economic needs rather than political alignments. With no fixed timeline announced, the coming months will reveal how quickly India can pivot away from Russian oil   and how this shift will reshape its diplomatic and trade relations with both Washington and Moscow.