US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India will stop buying crude oil from Russia. This comes months after the Trump administration imposed penalty tariffs on New Delhi for the purchases from Moscow.
He stated, "He has assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia. You know, you can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon."
When asked whether he views India as a "reliable partner", Trump responded to ANI, "Yeah, sure. He (PM Modi) is a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now, we have got to get China to do the same thing."
Trump's remarks came during a joint press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Oval Office. He added, "He is a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know."
Criticizing India's previous imports from Russia, the US President said, "We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia, because that lets Russia continue with this ridiculous war, where they have lost a million and a half people by the way. Russia has lost a million and a half people, mostly soldiers."
Taking on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump said that it was "unnecessary". Stating, "This is a war that should have never started, but it's a war that Russia should have won in the first week, and they are going into the fourth year. And I want to see it stop. So, I was not happy that India was buying oil."
Trump also reacted to the recent meeting between PM Modi and US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor. He said, "I think they were great. Modi is a great man. He (Sergio Gor) told me that he (PM Modi) loves Trump. I have watched India for years. It's an incredible country, and every single year you have a new leader. Some would be there for a few months, and this was year after year after year, and my friend has been there now for a long time."
Further, yet again, he claimed that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict. Trump said, "The Prime Minister of Pakistan got up the other day, said so beautifully, he says, you saved millions of lives. What he is referring to is the fact that India would have been with India, a nuclear war. That was getting very close. Seven aircraft were shot down."
