Trump claims Modi pledged to halt Indian purchases of Russian oil

US President Donald Trump announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given assurances that New Delhi will stop buying Russian crude oil. The statement was made to reporters upon the president's return to Washington, signaling a potential major shift in global energy trade dynamics and India's foreign policy alignment.

Leveraging Tariffs as a Diplomatic Tool

President Trump framed the commitment as a choice for India, explicitly linking trade policy to energy imports. "If they want to say otherwise, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that," he stated. This underscores the use of economic pressure to advance US foreign policy objectives aimed at curtailing Russia's oil revenue.

India's Recent Reliance on Russian Energy

The reported pledge marks a significant potential departure from India's recent economic strategy. Since 2022, India has dramatically increased its purchases of discounted Russian oil, capitalizing on the situation to become one of Moscow's leading energy customers despite Western sanctions imposed following the conflict in Ukraine.

The Global Energy Landscape

This development, if confirmed, would represent a substantial win for US efforts to enforce a de-facto embargo on Russian oil exports. It also illustrates the complex choices facing major developing economies like India, which must balance beneficial energy deals with the demands of their diplomatic and trade relationships with Western powers.