India’s foreign ministry has said it is “not aware” of a phone call in which US President Donald Trump claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.
On Wednesday, Trump said his Indian counterpart had “assured me today” that it would end Russian oil imports, a move the US has pushed for in a bid to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine.
But asked about the call on Thursday, an Indian government spokesman cast doubt on Trump’s account, saying he was “not aware of any conversation between the two leaders” taking place the previous day.
The Indian government had earlier said discussions were still “ongoing” with the US over its Russian oil purchases.
It comes as a White House official confirmed to the BBC that Trump plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call on Thursday.
India has become a key energy customer for Russia since the outbreak of the war, partly allowing the Kremlin to withstand the impact of Ukrainian allies slashing oil and gas imports, the country’s biggest export market.
The Trump administration has put public and diplomatic pressure on India to end its support for the Russian energy market as it seeks to increase the Kremlin’s economic isolation and force an end to the war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he had received assurances from Modi on Wednesday that India would halt its purchases “within a short period of time”.
In its initial response, the Indian government did not directly dispute that the call between Trump and Modi had taken place. It read: “Our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.”
The Indian government’s second response on Thursday raises further questions over whether a deal has been struck between Washington and Delhi.
Delhi’s continued reliance on Russian crude oil, which it imports at a discount, have become a key source of contention in US-India relations under the Trump administration, which has taken a tougher line on the Ukraine war after Putin failed to agree a peace deal with the White House.
India is second only to China for how much Russian energy it imports, funding which helps to prevent the collapse of Russia’s critical fossil fuel industry.
Modi’s government has accused Ukraine’s allies of hypocrisy, pointing to ongoing trade with Russia, including energy imports to the European Union, albeit at reduced levels.
In its latest round of sanctions unveiled this week, the UK government said it would target a major Indian oil refinery as it “continue(s) to get facilitate getting Russian oil onto global markets”. Officials said India’s Nayara Energy Limited imported 100 million barrels of Russian crude oil worth more than $5bn (£3.75bn) in 2024 alone.
