US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his claim that “India won’t be buying Russian oil,” a claim that has since been refuted by New Delhi.Speaking at a joint press briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Trump repeated his stance on India’s energy imports, saying, “India won’t be buying Russian oil anymore.“
While Trump has advocated using tariffs to curb Russia’s war in Ukraine, provided Nato countries stop importing Russian oil, he appeared to make an exception for Hungary. “Hungary is sort of stuck because they have one pipeline that’s been there for years and years, and they’re inland. I spoke with the very great leader of Hungary, and they are, you know, it’s very hard for them to get oil. I understand it,” he said.His statement came a day after the ministry of external affairs (MEA) clarified that there had been no recent phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump.Responding to questions about Trump’s remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had earlier stated that, “there was no conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders.”Jaiswal confirmed that the last official communication between the two leaders took place on October 9, during which PM Modi congratulated Trump on the success of his Gaza peace plan.“The telephone call happened on October 9, where the Prime Minister congratulated President Trump on the success of the Gaza peace plan. They also reviewed the progress in trade negotiations and agreed to stay in touch,” Jaiswal said, referring to the official readout of that call.Meanwhile, during the same press conference, Trump made a lighthearted comment about Zelenskyy’s attire, saying, “I think he looks beautiful in his jacket. It’s beautiful. I hope people notice—it’s actually very stylish. I like it.”Trump’s remarks on India’s oil purchases come amid heightened scrutiny of New Delhi’s energy trade with Moscow, which has continued even after Western nations imposed sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.However, India has consistently defended its oil imports from Russia, maintaining that its purchases are guided by national interest and energy security considerations.
