U.S. President Donald Trump has once again warned India of “massive” tariffs if it does not curb its purchases of Russian oil, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him that New Delhi would stop such imports.
Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, Trump said India will “continue to pay massive tariffs” if they do not cease buying oil from Russia, adding that “they (India) don’t want to do that.”
The remarks follow Trump’s unexpected announcement in the Oval Office on Wednesday, where he said PM Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, calling it “a big step”.
India last week said it is “broad-basing and diversifying” its sourcing of energy to meet market conditions, hours after Trump claimed that Modi assured him that New Delhi will stop procuring Russian crude oil.
Washington has been maintaining that India is helping Putin to finance the war through its purchase of Russian crude oil.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington have been under severe stress after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50%, including a 25% additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
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Russia has become India’s largest oil supplier in recent years, providing about one-third of its total crude imports, according to energy ministry data. India has defended the purchases as necessary for energy security, especially as Russian crude is sold at discounted rates.
India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
