MOSCOW: The Kremlin said Tuesday it had not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine.&nbsp;India&#39;s purchases of Russian oil -- discounted due to Western sanctions complicating logistics and cutting off markets -- have surged since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.&nbsp;Ukraine and its Western allies have been seeking to cut off the billions of dollars in revenue, a vital source of income for Russia&#39;s stretched economy and its military.&nbsp;&quot;So far, we haven&#39;t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.&nbsp;Trump said he was cutting levies on Indian goods to 18 percent. He had previously imposed 25 percent &quot;reciprocal&quot; tariffs on many products, plus an additional 25 percent for New Delhi&#39;s purchases of Moscow&#39;s oil.&nbsp;While Modi thanked Trump for the &quot;wonderful&quot; phone call and the easing of tariffs, he made no reference to Trump&#39;s assertion about halting oil purchases.&nbsp;In 2024, Russia supplied nearly 36 percent of India&#39;s total crude imports, around 1.8 million barrels of discounted oil per day.&nbsp;But after Trump hit New Delhi with tariffs, India&#39;s monthly oil imports from Russia plunged by 38 percent, local media reported, citing India&#39;s Ministry of Commerce and Industry&#39;s data.&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin promised &quot;uninterrupted shipments&quot; of oil during a visit to New Delhi in late 2025.&nbsp;Bilateral trade between the two sides reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 -- almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels -- dominated by Moscow&#39;s energy sales, with Indian exports to Russia accounting for under $5 billion.

This combination of pictures created on February 02, 2026 shows, L/R, US President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, February 1, 2026 and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 29, 2026. (AFP/File)

Europe

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the country has not heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter.

Russia says India has not said it will halt oil purchases

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Under mounting pressure from Washington, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly agreed to further reduce Russian oil imports following what US President Donald Trump described as a &ldquo;very good&rdquo; conversation between the two leaders.&nbsp;Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump said he had spoken with Modi about the regional situation and the war in Ukraine, claiming that India is sharply reducing its oil imports from Russia and intends to continue doing so.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1980742051600953557&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=cb91aadad6b39265589051e7fd402cd173d5ebd1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>According to Trump, Modi assured him that India would further cut its purchases of Russian oil, adding that both leaders shared a desire to see the Russia-Ukraine conflict end soon. &ldquo;India has already reduced its oil purchases and is continuing to cut it back,&rdquo; Trump said. Trump&rsquo;s remarks came days after he made similar claims that were dismissed by New Delhi. In response, India&rsquo;s Ministry of External Affairs said it was &ldquo;not aware of any recent conversation&rdquo; between the two leaders, stressing that the country&rsquo;s energy imports are guided by &ldquo;the interests of the Indian consumer and the stability of supply and prices.&rdquo; He stated that Modi assured him India would further cut oil imports from Russia, emphasizing that both leaders share a desire to see the Russia-Ukraine war reach an end soon. Trump noted that India had already reduced its oil purchases and was &ldquo;continuing to cut it back.&rdquo; Modi confirmed the conversation in a post on X, signaling a shift in New Delhi&rsquo;s stance amid growing US pressure.<iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1980826742379184347&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=cb91aadad6b39265589051e7fd402cd173d5ebd1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe><div class="fr-embed"> </div>The US president has in recent weeks also criticized India for continuing to purchase Russian oil, and his administration has imposed tariffs on Indian exports to pressure New Delhi to support efforts for peace in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Trump reiterated that India would continue to face &ldquo;massive tariffs&rdquo; if it did not halt its imports of Russian oil.

Americas

Says India is sharply reducing its oil imports from Russia and intends to continue doing so.

Modi yields to Trump’s pressure, agrees to cut Russian oil imports

ISLAMABAD: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has called on India to open its markets and stop pursuing policies that he said harm American economic interests, placing New Delhi among Washington&rsquo;s top trade concerns.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have a bunch of countries to fix, like Switzerland, Brazil, India &mdash; these are countries that need to really react correctly to America,&rdquo; Lutnick told US broadcaster NewsNation. &ldquo;Open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America, and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re at odds with them.&rdquo;&nbsp;India is already subject to some of the highest US trade levies, including a 50% tariff on certain goods and a 25% penalty linked to its imports of Russian oil. Lutnick said countries that want access to US consumers &ldquo;have to play ball with the president of the United States.&rdquo; <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPbY-YQAIOA?&t=172s&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> &nbsp;Lutnick added, &ldquo;The way that President Trump does deals, the first deal is always the best deal. And then the next deal is higher, the next deal is higher, the next deal&rsquo;s higher.&rdquo; Lutnick&rsquo;s latest comments add to his rhetoric on India&rsquo;s trade and energy policies. He has previously described India&rsquo;s stance in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration as &ldquo;bravado.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said these countries [India and Brazil] need to recognize that access to US consumers requires aligning with the policies of the US president, the trade official said, adding that negotiations with other partners are continuing.&nbsp;India-USA trade talks&nbsp;His remarks come as India and the United States resume trade talks after years of friction. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington from Sept. 22 to 24, holding talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor.&nbsp;India&rsquo;s Commerce Ministry said the meetings were &ldquo;constructive,&rdquo; with both sides exchanging views on the contours of a potential agreement and agreeing to continue engagements toward an &ldquo;early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement.&rdquo;

Asia

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says countries like India and Brazil need to open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America.

Articles tagged with "US India trade talks"

Russia says India has not said it will halt oil purchases

Modi yields to Trump’s pressure, agrees to cut Russian oil imports

‘We have to fix India’: US official says New Delhi must ‘stop harming’ America

Russia says India has not said it will halt oil purchases