Trump says he discussed trade with Modi, reiterates claim that India will limit Russian oil purchase

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend his greetings on Diwali, adding that their conversation focused on trade. He also reiterated his claim that New Delhi will limit the purchase of Russian oil.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had a “great conversation” with Modi.

“We talked about trade,” he said. “We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade. He’s [Modi] very interested in that.”

Energy trade was also part of the conversation, Trump said, adding that Modi had assured him that India would be limiting its oil purchases from Russia amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

“He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia,” the US president said. “He wants to see that war end as much as I do.”

Trump has repeatedly alleged that India’s purchases were helping to fund Russia’s war.

The US president’s remarks on Tuesday came two days after his claim that Modi had told him that New Delhi will stop buying Russian oil. He warned that India will continue to pay “massive tariffs” if it fails to do so.

On October 15, Trump had told reporters that Modi had agreed to halt India’s Russian oil imports “within a short period of time”, which he described as “a big stop”.

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