India has made no official move to halt Russian oil imports: Kremlin
The Kremlin says it has received no official statement from India about halting purchases of Russian oil, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that New Delhi would stop buying the country’s crude as part of a deal with Washington
In a social media post, Trump said on Monday that he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that India had agreed to replace its Russian crude imports with oil from the United States and Venezuela as part of a broader trade agreement. Trump also said he would reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange.
Modi welcomed the reduced tariffs in a post on X, but he did not mention an agreement to end purchases of Russian oil.
Asked by reporters if India had decided to stop buying Russian oil, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “So far, we have not heard any statements from Delhi on this issue.”
“We respect bilateral US-Indian relations,” Peskov added. “But we attach no less importance to the development of an advanced strategic partnership between Russia and India.”
Peskov reiterated that Moscow intends “to further develop our bilateral relations with Delhi,” citing the longstanding energy and strategic ties between the two countries.
On Tuesday, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said New Delhi would "shortly" sign a deal with the United States, adding that a joint statement would be issued once the final details were agreed. However, he provided no further details about the contents of the agreement.
Trump’s announcement of a “trade deal” with India comes amid a wave of recent trade agreements among major economies, including the European Union–India pact and separate deals involving China and Canada.
Analysts say those agreements, particularly the EU–India deal, had left the United States increasingly isolated and may have pushed Washington to revive its long-stalled negotiations with New Delhi.
They add that even if India shifts its oil imports away from Russia, it will likely aim to maintain steady relations with Moscow.
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