President Trump said on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that India will stop buying Russian oil is a potentially important step in increasing pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil. And they assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “This is a big step. Now we have to get China to do the same.”
Trump said the change would happen “within a short period of time.”
The Indian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump in August announced He will increase tariffs on India’s purchases of Russian oil by 25 percent, taking the total tariff imposed on New Delhi to 50 percent.
The President had argued that India’s purchases of Russian oil were fueling Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. He has since called on European countries to do more to limit purchases of Russian oil.
This step increased tension between America, India and Modi met in september In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that was seen as a rebuke to the United States.
