Indian officials deny Trump’s claim they’ll stop buying Russian oil – Washington Examiner
Indian officials have denied former President Donald Trump’s claim that India would stop buying Russian oil despite pressure from the United States.Trump suggested that India had ceased its purchases as part of his strategy to pressure Moscow into negotiating peace with Ukraine by urging third countries to halt Russian oil imports. However, Indian officials stated there has been no change in policy or directives given to oil companies regarding Russian oil imports. The indian Foreign Ministry emphasized that India’s relations with Russia stand independently and will not be influenced by external pressures. Experts note that even if India reduced its imports, countries like China and Turkey would continue buying Russian oil, which could disadvantage India economically. Trump had threatened to impose a 25% tariff on indian goods if it continued importing Russian oil, marking a deterioration in relations between Trump and Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite thier previously close ties.
Indian officials deny Trump’s claim they’ll stop buying Russian oil
Indian officials denied President Donald Trump‘s claim that they had stopped buying Russian oil, despite pressure from Washington.
Trump’s sudden move to pressure Moscow to come to the peace table with Ukraine relies on pressuring third countries into stopping their purchase of Russian oil. As part of this effort, Trump is exerting pressure on India to cease its oil imports from Russia, pressure which he speculated may have pulled off on Friday.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” he told reporters. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”
Two Indian officials shot these hopes down on Saturday, however, telling the New York Times that there’d been no change in policy. One said New Delhi had “not given any direction to oil companies” to alter the flow of oil imports from Russia.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal appeared to back this up, declining to address Trump’s threats of increased tariffs if it continued its Russian oil imports, but saying there would be no change of policy with Russia.
“Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country,” Jaiswal said Friday. “India and Russia have a steady and time-tested partnership.”
From India’s perspective, cutting its oil imports from Russia would be largely ineffectual toward Russia while harmful toward itself, as China and Turkey would continue their cheap oil imports with Russia without the same penalties. Therefore, China would hugely benefit while India would fall behind.
“What we also have to keep in mind is that even if India may cut to zero, China is not going to,” said Pankaj Saran, a former Indian deputy national security adviser and ambassador to Moscow. “You will have a kind of a bizarre situation where Russia will sell to China at cheap prices, and so you would have China being the ultimate beneficiary.”
Trump was successful during his first administration in getting India to eschew oil imports from Iran and Venezuela, even though doing so was economically harmful. Cutting off imports from Russia, however, could prove too costly. Indian officials seem content to sit back and wait, given Trump’s penchant for changing course on the issue of Russia.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened India with a 25% tariff if it didn’t stop importing oil from Russia.
“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” the president posted on Truth Social.
TRUMP JABS AT INDIA IN PAKISTAN TRADE DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT
“Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST,” he continued.
The move is the latest blow to the unique friendship Trump shared with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a close relationship cultivated during his first administration. Trump’s mediation of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during their brief conflict earlier this year ironically seems to have dented their relationship, with Pakistan praising Trump for his role and India downplaying it.
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