Trump reiterates claim that India will stop buying Russian oil by year-end

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his claim that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil and would gradually reduce it to “almost nothing” at the end of the year. However, Trump clarified that it will take India some time to stop buying Russian oil, as it is a process.

His comments come days after India categorically stated that no such agreement has been reached with the US, adding that the country’s energy policy was based on stable prices and secure supplies.

"India, as you know, has told me they are going to stop (buying Russian oil)... It's a process. You can’t just stop... By the end of the year, they'll be down to almost nothing, with almost 40 per cent of the oil remaining. India, they've been great. Spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi yesterday. They've been absolutely great,” President Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (October 22).

Trump’s tariffs and Russian oil

Trump has been claiming for the past few days that India has assured him that it will significantly reduce its oil imports from Russia. He has repeatedly alleged that the oil purchases by India and China from Russia were funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

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The ties between India and the US have come under strain with Trump imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, out of which 25 per cent is a reciprocal tariff to address trade imbalance, and the remaining 25 per cent is a penalty for India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. India described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”

Trump to raise Ukraine issue with Xi

Regarding his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump stated that he would discuss with him ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“What I'll really be talking to him about is how we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it's through oil or energy or anything else. I think he’s going to be very receptive,” he said.

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The US President said that the relationship between China and Russia "is a little bit different.” He blamed his predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, for forcing Russia and China together, adding that “by nature”, Russia and China cannot be friendly.

Blames Biden, Obama for Russia-China ties

“China is a little bit different. They have a slightly different relationship with Russia. It was never good, but because of Biden and Obama, they got forced together. They should never have been forced together... by nature, they (China-Russia) can't be friendly... I hope they are friendly, but they can't be... Biden and Obama forced them together because of energy and oil. They are closer than they would normally be,” said Trump.

The US President is set to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea later this month.

Defends tariff policy

Defending his trade policy, Trump credited tariffs for strengthening the US economy.

“We are doing so well as a country right now because of tariffs. Tariffs have been used against us for decades... and that was slowly hurting our country. That's why we owe USD 37 trillion. Because of tariffs, we're now a rich country. We're taking in money like we've never done before,” he said.

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Asserting that tariffs were vital for America’s prosperity, Trump said, “Without tariffs, the US would become a third-world country. I cannot let that happen. With tariffs, we are a rich, secure country; without them, we would be a laughing stock.” Trump claimed tariffs have also helped prevent conflicts.

Reiterates Indo-Pak ceasefire claim

"I solved eight wars. Of the eight, five or six were because of tariffs," he said.

He reiterated his claim that he helped stop the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan by threatening both countries with high tariffs.

Trump said he told the two countries, "If you want to fight, that’s okay. But you’re going to pay tariffs. Two days later, they called up and said they’re not going to fight anymore. They have peace.”

Trump has been repeating his claim dozens of times that he “helped settle” the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. The claim has been consistently denied by India, which stated that a ceasefire deal with Pakistan was reached after the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan reached out to his Indian counterpart.

(With agency inputs)