On the 16th local time, a spokesman for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Indian Prime Minister and U.S. President Trump had not had a telephone conversation recently, which was equivalent to refuting the U.S. statement that India would stop purchasing Russian oil.

Analysts believe that the differences show the fragility of US-India relations, Trump is eager to announce diplomatic victories and pressure on Russia, but Modi is reluctant to show a gesture of pressure toward the United States.

India faces Trump

On the 15th local time, Trump said at a press conference that Modi "assured me today" that India will stop buying oil from Russia."This is a major progress." He also said India could not stop buying immediately,"it's a process," but the process would end soon.

India¡¯s foreign ministry said in a statement that India¡¯s energy import policy has always been a priority to safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers and that it will increase purchases of energy from the United States.

This is regarded as neither acknowledging nor denying the US statement, which caused a complicated reaction in India, and the Indian people asked the government to make a clear statement.

Subsequently, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randy Jayshwal said on 16 that the 15th call to the Indian-American leader was "unknown" and was considered to indirectly refute Trump's claims.

¡°Cooperation is possible, coercion is not.¡±

Analysts believe that the latest events once again reflect the fragility of US-India relations.

Saeed Akbaruddin, India's former ambassador to the United Nations, believes that Trump's approach is typical and is putting pressure on Modi to make concessions. India deliberately adopted an ambiguous response, hoping to demonstrate strategic autonomy in energy policy.

He said that India may "quietly adjust" the amount of Russian oil imports later, but it will not make people feel that this is bowing to the demands of the United States."The message to be sent is clear: cooperation is okay, coercion is not."

Former U.S. Trade Representative Office negotiator Mark Linscott described the case as a "sensitive game" with Trump hoping to disclose diplomatic results and India hoping to reach a consensus behind the scenes, but aiming to pave the way for the abolition of U.S. punitive tariffs.

Recently, the tension between the United States and India has been escalating. In order to put pressure on Russia to quickly resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S. government tried to restrict Russian oil and gas exports to force it to compromise.

In August, the United States imposed punitive tariffs on Indian imports of Russian oil ¡°directly or indirectly¡± based on India¡¯s tariffs on Indian imports.

The move annoyed India.Since the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, India's oil imports to Russia havely risen sharply, accounting for 35% to 40% of its crude oil imports.India saved about $17 billion by purchasing Russian oil at discount prices, which is crucial for a fast-growing economy.

Since then, the two sides have continued to negotiate on trade issues, and the negotiations have not yet been broken, however, the two sides have released some positive signals.

On the 12th, the new ambassador of the United States to India, Mr. Gol, met with Mr. Modi for the first time to discuss trade, defense and key mineral issues.

It is also that Trump and Modi may meet at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia this month.

Author: The Liberation Daily