“We’ll keep buying Russian oil despite your threat” – India to Trump

Indian officials have said the country will continue importing oil from Russia, despite recent warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump that India could face penalties if it doesn’t cut ties with Moscow’s crude supply.

Last week, Trump signaled that India might be added to the list of countries facing new tariffs, saying he would impose “additional penalties” unless the country stopped its Russian oil imports. However, he did not clarify what those penalties would be.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said:

“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”

But Indian officials pushed back, saying there had been no instruction from the government to reduce Russian oil purchases.

One senior official, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that oil companies had not been asked to change their sourcing strategy.

On Friday, India’s foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal avoided directly responding to Trump’s threat but stressed that India’s foreign relations are based on national interest.

“Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country,” Jaiswal said, adding that India and Russia share a “steady and time-tested partnership.”

Russia currently supplies over one-third of India’s oil imports, with discounted rates making it an economically attractive option for New Delhi.

The situation shows the growing tension between Washington and New Delhi over foreign policy, especially as global alliances shift amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.