US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed India has reportedly stopped buying Russian oil, calling it a “good step” if true — a statement promptly met with skepticism by Indian officials who said they had no such information.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard, I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in Washington DC.
His remarks follow recent US decisions to penalize India over its oil and defense ties with Moscow, including a new 25% import duty on Indian goods. Both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have previously criticized India for continuing to purchase discounted Russian crude despite sanctions imposed over the Ukraine war.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, dismissed reports of a halt. “India’s energy purchases are guided by national interest and market dynamics. We have no reports suggesting that Indian oil companies have stopped Russian imports,” one official said.
There’s been no formal MEA statement yet, but spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal echoed a similar line during Friday’s press briefing: “You are aware of our general approach — we assess what’s available in the global market based on our energy needs. We are not aware of any specific developments.”
Some media outlets had suggested Indian state-run refiners paused Russian oil purchases last week, citing shrinking discounts and renewed US pressure. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and remains the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude.
A Reuters report claimed that state refiners including Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemicals did not seek Russian cargoes last week. These firms, which typically buy Russian oil on a delivered basis, are said to be sourcing alternatives from Middle Eastern and West African markets.
While private giants like Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy dominate Russian oil purchases, state refiners still account for over 60% of India’s 5.2 million barrels per day refining capacity.
On July 14, Trump warned of imposing 100% tariffs on any country buying Russian oil unless Moscow agrees to a major peace deal with Ukraine.