The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday clarified that there was no phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The clarification contradicts Trump’s earlier claim. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing, “I’m not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders.”
Earlier, India had reiterated that its energy import policies are driven entirely by the need to protect the interests of Indian consumers amid volatile global markets. “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” Jaiswal said.
[img=1px,1px]https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg[/img]#WATCH | Delhi | On US President Trump’s statement over purchase of Russian oil by India, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "… On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any… pic.twitter.com/CqjfqCEO0p
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025 Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, claimed that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil. “I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he [PM Modi] has assured me they will not be buying oil from Russia… You can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but it will be over soon,” Trump said.
He also linked India’s potential pause in Russian oil imports to easing the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “If India does not buy oil, it makes ending the war easier. They have assured me that within a short period, they will not be buying oil from Russia, and they will go back to Russia after the war is over,” he added. |
