United States

Trump: 'Modi promised me he will stop buying oil from Russia' Putin: we suffer unfair competition

US President: 'This is a big step. Now I have to convince China to do the same'

16 October 2025

Il presidente Usa Donald Trump. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

US President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to stop oil purchases from Russia, signalling a possible resolution to an issue at the heart of the diplomatic and trade rift between Washington and New Delhi.

Trump said Modi made the commitment during a conversation on Wednesday. 'I was not happy about India buying oil, and today [Modi] assured me that he will not buy oil from Russia. That's a big step. Now I have to convince China to do the same,' Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump did not describe an exact timeline for India's reduction in purchases or how Washington might implement or closely examine the change. The US president also did not reveal how India intends to compensate for the lack of Russian oil purchases, even perhaps by purchasing more American supplies.

India has the capacity to buy more oil from the US, a senior Commerce Ministry official said earlier, signalling New Delhi's intention to accelerate trade talks and reach an agreement. "We are currently at an average of $12-13 billion according to FY2025 figures and there is scope for another $14-15 billion" with the current refinery configuration, Indian Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The move could help close India's $42.7 billion trade surplus. Indian officials are in the US to meet with counterparts and hope to reach an agreement as early as next month, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.

The president said that India cannot stop purchasing from Russia 'immediately', adding only: 'It is a bit of a long process, but it will be concluded soon'.

Moscow denies: our energy resources are advantageous

A few hours later, however, Moscow contradicted Trump: India will continue to import Russian oil, despite pressure from the US to stop them, said Russia's deputy premier in charge of the energy sector, Alexander Novak. 'We continue our interaction with our friendly partners, our energy resources are in demand, they are cost-effective and convenient,' Novak was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying. 'I am confident that our partners will continue to work with us.

Putin: we suffer unfair competition

Russia remains one of the leading oil producers, despite the unfair competition it faces, President Vladimir Putin said, quoted by Tass.

The Russian president, from the podium of the Russian Energy Week, also stated that 'the EU's refusal to import energy from Russia has led to a decline in European industry and higher prices'.

"The EU's refusal to rely on Russian energy has led to a decline in European industry, rising prices, and a decrease in the competitiveness of European goods," President Putin noted.

The Kremlin leader also pointed out that, according to him, Western countries are deliberately disrupting the global energy system, causing its artificial collapse. 'We are also facing an artificial collapse of the energy architecture caused by the aggressive and very assertive actions of some Western elites,' President Putin argued.