US President Donald Trump has claimed India has agreed to scale back its purchase of Russian oil, fuelling hope that a thorn in Indo-US ties may soon be removed, prompting Washington to ease its tariff pressure on New Delhi.

Speaking to journalists at the White House on Thursday morning (India time), Trump referred to a purported conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said Modi had “assured” him that India would stop buying Russian oil.

“I was not happy that India was buying oil and he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That is a big stop,” Trump said, referring to Modi as “a great friend and a great man”.

New Delhi declined to say whether Modi had indeed made such a promise to Trump, or whether such a conversation had taken place at all.

“I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Earlier on Thursday, Jaiswal had claimed that safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy scenario had been “a constant priority” with the government.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” he said in a statement.

India has consistently maintained that buying discounted Russian oil has helped keep in check the domestic retail prices of motor fuels as well as the price of international crude oil.

Russian deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow was confident that its energy cooperation with India would “continue”, PTI reported from Moscow.

“I am confident that our partners will continue to work with us, interact, and develop energy cooperation,” Novak was quoted as saying in response to Trump’s claim.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of being “frightened” of Trump.

“PM Modi is frightened of Trump. Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil,” he posted on X.

“Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. Cancelled the Finance Minister’s visit to America. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. Doesn’t contradict him on Operation Sindoor.”

India faces a punitive tariff of 50 per cent on two-thirds of its exports to the US, partly because of its purchase of discounted Russian crude that Washington says is fuelling Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Shipments to the US plunged to $5.5 billion in September, the first full month after the 50 per cent tariff took effect, down by 20.3 per cent from August, according to data accessed by the Global Trade Research Institute.

Data sourced from market intelligence firm Kpler shows India has been procuring 30-35 per cent of its crude oil requirements from Russia.

India’s crude imports from Russia in October were around 1.8 million barrels per day (BPD), up 250,000 BPD month on month, and 50,000 BPD year on year. Russian crude has maintained its position as the largest supplier to India, and the October purchase was the highest since June. The Ural crude is being offered at a discount of $2-$3 per barrel.

Experts argued that it might not be possible for India to wind down its Russian crude purchases immediately for logistic, commercial and political constraints.

Trump too appeared to understand that. “It’s not going to be immediate. It’s a bit of a process. But the process is going to be over with soon,” he said at the White House.

India has in the past lobbied with the US to let it buy sanctioned and cheaper oil from Venezuela and Iran in place of Russian oil. The Modi government has now also offered to buy more petroleum products from the US to bridge the $42.7-billion trade gap between the two countries.

Trump’s White House statement coincided with Indian commerce secretary Rajesh Agarwal’s visit to the US for trade discussions.

“Right now, we are at an average of $12-$13 billion (in oil purchases from the US) as per FY25 figures and there is headroom for $14-$15 billion” more with the current refinery configuration, Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator, said before leaving.

India may buy more cooking gas (LPG) from the US, reducing its reliance on West Asia.

Trump’s comments appeared to leave some Indian refineries confused. Reuters said some players were looking at the option of shying away from Russian purchases from December as the orders for November had already been placed.

At least one refiner, Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd, said it was hoping to continue to buy Russian oil while looking for alternative sources of cheaper oil.