India questions Trump's claim that PM Modi made him a promise on Russian oil
On Thursday, the MEA contested the US president's claim and said no such conversation took place.
India has denied that Donald Trump and Modi held a phone call regarding New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. On Thursday, the MEA contested the US president's claim and said no such conversation took place.
“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 conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during the weekly press conference.
Earlier today, the external affairs ministry issued a statement regarding India's energy sourcing and said that the interests of the Indian consumer will be a priority amid the volatile energy scenario.
"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," spokesperson Jaiswal said in a statement on Thursday.
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What did Trump claim?
During a press conference from the Oval Office, US president Donald Trump claimed that he had been assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India had agreed to stop its purchase of 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's a big stop," he said.
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India's purchase of Russian oil has been the headlines since August, after Trump announced an additional 25 percent tariff on New Delhi as a penalty.
With this additional penalty, Trump's tariffs on India went up to a total of 50 percent.
In response to the hiked tariff rates, PM Modi stated that he would not compromise on the livelihood of farmers, even if it meant "paying a heavy price".
