US President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed not to “buy much oil from Russia”.
“I love the people of India. We’re working on some great deals between
our countries. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do. He wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine to end. They’re not going to be buying too much oil. So they’ve cut it way back, and they’re continuing to cut it way back…,” Trump told reporters during Diwali celebrations at the White House.
Recently, Trump said he will “substantially” raise US tariffs on New Delhi, accusing it of buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it for big profits.
“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” he added.
During the interaction on Tuesday, the US President said: “Let me extend our warmest wishes to the people of India. I just spoke to your Prime Minister today. Had a great conversation. We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that. Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing. He’s a great person, and he’s become a great friend of mine over the years.”
On Monday, Trump extended his greetings to Americans observing Diwali, describing the festival of lights as a time for unity, hope, and celebration.
