Trump Announces India's Pledge to Stop Russian Oil Purchases in Major Diplomatic Shift

Trump described India's move as a "big step" in efforts to isolate Moscow economically.

US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India will cease purchasing oil from Russia. Trump characterized this commitment as a "big step" in the campaign to economically isolate Moscow.

"So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia," Trump informed reporters during an event at the White House.

"That's a big step. Now we're going to get China to do the same thing."

When contacted via email, the Indian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether PM Modi had indeed made such a commitment to Trump.

An Indian pledge to stop purchasing Russian oil would represent a potential turning point in global energy diplomacy, as Washington intensifies efforts to restrict Moscow's oil revenues during its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

This would also indicate a significant shift by one of Moscow's primary energy customers and could alter the calculations for other nations still importing Russian crude. It comes as Trump attempts to utilize bilateral relationships to enforce economic isolation, rather than depending solely on multilateral sanctions.

In his remarks to reporters, Trump added that India could not "immediately" stop shipments, describing it as "a little bit of a process, but that process will be over soon."