Trump says Modi assured him India will stop buying Russian oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to stop buying oil from Russia, and Trump said he would next try to get China to do the same as Washington intensifies efforts to cut off Moscow’s energy revenues.

India and China are the two top buyers of Russian seaborne crude exports, taking advantage of the discounted prices Russia has been forced to accept after European buyers shunned purchases and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump has recently targeted India for its Russian oil purchases, imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S. to discourage the country’s crude buying as he seeks pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. “So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he (Modi)assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a White House event.

“That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing.” The Indian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to emailed questions about whether Modi had made such a commitment to Trump. Later on Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he told Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato at a meeting in Washington that the Trump administration expects Japan to stop importing Russian energy.