File photo of US President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, DC | Photo credit: Reuters
US President Donald Trump said India would pay “massive tariffs” if it continued to buy oil from Russia and reiterated that he had received assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that New Delhi would stop oil purchases from Moscow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (October 19, 2025), Mr Trump said India “will continue to pay massive tariffs” if they don’t stop buying oil from Russia, adding that “they (India) don’t want to do that.”
Mr. Trump was responding to a question about India’s recent comments on oil purchases from Russia.
India last week said it was “broad-based and diversifying” its energy sourcing to meet market conditions, hours after Mr Trump said he had been assured by Mr Modi that Delhi would stop buying Russian oil.
Trump said he did not believe India had made such remarks.
“But I don’t believe they said that. No, I spoke to Indian Prime Minister Modi and he said he’s not going to do things with Russian oil,” the US president added.
Washington claims India is helping Putin finance the war by buying Russian oil.
Relations between Delhi and Washington have been under severe strain after Mr Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty on India’s purchases of Russian oil.
India called the US action “unfair, unjustified and disproportionate”.
Published – 20 October 2025 13:31 IST
