Washington: Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him that India will no longer purchase oil from Russia — a move Trump hailed as “a big step” in building international pressure against Moscow amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Oval Office with FBI Director Kash Patel, Trump addressed questions on global security and Washington’s diplomatic engagements. Responding to a query from ANI on India’s reliability as a strategic partner, Trump said, “Yeah, sure. He’s (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship… I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.”
The former president, known for his outspoken views on foreign policy, further emphasized his personal rapport with the Indian leader. “He’s a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know,” Trump added, reaffirming the trust and communication between both leaders.
Trump also criticized India’s earlier stance on purchasing discounted Russian crude, saying such deals “allowed Russia to continue with this ridiculous war,” claiming that Moscow had already suffered massive military losses. “We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia, because that lets Russia continue on with this ridiculous war, where they’ve lost a million and a half people, by the way. Russia has lost a million and a half people, soldiers mostly,” he remarked.
While New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that its energy imports from Moscow are based on national interests and economic stability, Washington has continued to encourage India to diversify its energy sources.
Calling the ongoing war “a conflict that should never have started,” Trump added, “This is a war that Russia should have won in the first week, and they’re going into the fourth year. I want to see it stop. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now I got to get China to do the same thing.”
Drawing parallels with his recent diplomatic initiatives, Trump said, “You know, that is relatively easy compared to what we just did over the last week in the Middle East. Middle East was 3,000 years, and we got it done. This is three years.”
Expressing cautious optimism over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump concluded, “And I think we’ll get it done. I think that President Putin wants to get it done. But there’s a great animosity between him and Zelensky, and I think it’s hurting the process.”
