“After President Trump announced that India pledged to stop buying Russian oil, New Delhi on Thursday sought to strike a careful balance -- dispute the claim, while avoiding a public denial that could derail trade talks with Washington.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country would halt Russian oil purchases, a move that his administration sought as part of efforts to choke off Moscow's financing for the Ukraine action.
"He assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia," Trump said.
The Trump administration in August put a 50% tariff on India, calling half of that a penalty for New Delhi's reliance on Russian oil.
India's Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said he wasn't aware of any conversation between Modi and Trump the preceding day. Jaiswal said India is committed to protecting consumers by diversifying its energy supplies, including through U.S. imports, but made no mention of Russian oil.
India also said it had increased its U.S. energy purchases in the last decade and was discussing deepening energy cooperation with the Trump administration.
The prime minister's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
The cautious language marked a departure from India's staunch refusal this summer to reduce its Russian oil purchases despite Trump wielding hefty tariffs.
Analysts said Modi is pursuing two goals: Securing a trade deal with Washington that would lower tariffs, while avoiding disruptions to India's energy supplies.
Weaning India off its heavy reliance on discounted Russian crude is challenging. Russia supplies about one-third of India's total oil imports, much of it at steep discounts since events in Ukraine.
"The reality is that cutting Russian imports would be difficult, costly and risky," Sumit Ritolia, lead research analyst in refining and modeling at data firm Kpler, wrote in a research note.
India has become the largest purchaser of Russian oil after China, according to the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank. Before the Ukraine events, India bought most of its oil from Gulf states, as well as a significant amount from the U.S.
Energy analysts said they expect India to make a token gesture toward appeasing U.S. demands by marginal cuts to Russia oil purchases. Any abrupt cutback could lead to inflation, political instability and budget problems.
"Even if India were to consider reducing Russian imports, it would not happen overnight," Ritolia wrote. "The practical, logistical, and economic reality make a rapid exit from Russian barrels unrealistic."” [1]
1. World News: India Counters Trump Claim It Will Drop Russian Oil. Li, Shan. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 17 Oct 2025: A16
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