New Delhi: India has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.
“On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” said Ministry of External (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press briefing on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, MEA issued a statement saying India’s energy decisions were guided by consumer interests. The government said ensuring stable energy prices and securing supplies were the twin objectives of India’s energy policy, and stressed that decisions were guided accordingly.
“India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” Jaiswal said.
On Wednesday, the US President claimed during a press conference at the White House that he had been assured by Prime Minister Modi India had agreed to stop purchase of Russian oil.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop,” Trump said.
The US administration has been putting pressure on India since August to stop purchasing oil from Russia, and even blamed the Modi government of funding the war in Ukraine.
Trump slapped an additional 25 per cent tariff on India as penalty for buying Russian oil, over and above the 25 per cent reciprocal tariff.
Despite the steep tariff rates, PM Modi said India won’t compromise on the livelihood of farmers, even if it meant “paying a heavy price.”