India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified on Thursday that it has no information about any recent conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, following Trump’s claim that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil.
Speaking at a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said,
“We put out a statement on the issue of energy this morning, but whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump yesterday, we are not aware of any conversation.”
Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump told reporters that Prime Minister Modi had “assured him that India would not buy oil from Russia”, calling it a “big step” and adding that he would now persuade China to do the same.
The MEA’s earlier statement on Thursday emphasized that India’s energy policy remains driven by national interests and consumer needs, noting that the country has long sought to diversify energy procurement, including through greater cooperation with the United States.
“Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement, and this has steadily progressed in the last decade,” the ministry stated, adding that Washington has also shown interest in deepening energy collaboration with New Delhi.
The clarification comes amid speculation surrounding India’s stance on Russian crude purchases, which have been a significant part of the country’s energy imports since the start of the Ukraine conflict.