US President donald trump on friday (August 1, 2025) reacted to reports of India's possible ban on buying oil from russia, calling it a good step. However, he also admitted that he is not sure about the truth of this information.
When asked by news agency ANI whether any special penalty will be imposed on india or whether there is going to be any conversation with prime minister Narendra Modi, trump said, I have heard that india will no longer buy oil from Russia. I don't know if it is right or wrong. This is a good step. Let's see what happens. This statement comes at a time when the US is building international pressure to limit Russia's earnings amid the ukraine war.
India is the third largest country to buy oil from Russia
India is the world's third largest oil importer and has been a major buyer of discounted Russian crude oil since 2022. According to recent reports, indian government refineries have temporarily stopped buying oil from russia due to declining discounts and logistical challenges. The indian government has not given any official statement on this. The US considers this trade wrong from a geopolitical point of view and wants india to stop buying energy and weapons from Russia.
The US has imposed a 25 percent tariff on India
Recently, the US has announced that it will impose a 25% tariff on all exports from India. A penalty will also be imposed for continuing energy trade with Russia. trump criticized india in his Truth Social post last week, in which he said that india buys energy and military equipment from russia and imposes very high tariffs on American products, due to which there are many problems in business.
What did india say on Trump's statement?
Reacting on behalf of the government of india, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir jaiswal said that there is a stable and time-tested partnership between india and Russia. India-US relations are based on shared interests, democratic values and strong people-to-people ties. india made it clear that it wants to maintain balanced relations with both countries and will not compromise on its strategic interests.
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