¡°US President Trump reiterated that he had spoken to India¡¯s Prime Minister Modi that he would not buy a lot of oil from Russia.¡± The Indian Times on the 22nd, local time on October 21, when Trump hosted the celebration at the White House, that he had spoken to Modi on the same day, the two sides mainly discussed trade and energy issues, Modi had ¡°promised¡± to him that he would reduce the amount of oil imported from Russia.

Not the first mention

In a speech at the White House, Trump called Modi a "great man" and a "great friend", stressing the cooperation between the two countries in trade and regional peace.

The Times of India said Trump told reporters that Modi "like I do want to see the Russia-Ukraine conflict end as soon as possible" and said that "India is continuing to reduce the amount of Russian oil it purchases." Reuters previously stated that during the trade negotiations between the United States and India, India's purchase of Russian oil was one of the main reasons for Trump's dissatisfaction. Half of the 50% additional tariffs imposed by the United States on Indian goods were for India's purchase of Russian oil. Retaliation.

According to the Indian Economic Times, the U.S. government is putting pressure on India by imposing tariffs to reduce Russian oil revenues and force it to reach a peace deal on the Ukraine issue.

In fact, this is not the first time Trump has mentioned that "Modi promised him to reduce Russian oil purchases." Trump mentioned this statement to the public on the 15th and 19th of this month, and warned on the 19th that if India fails to fulfill its commitments, India will continue to pay "huge" tariffs.

"No new comments"

Regarding Trump's previous statement, the Indian Foreign Ministry said on the 16th that the Indian side was unaware of any telephone conversation between Trump and Modi. The Times of India stated that India is an important oil and natural gas importer, and safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers has always been their top priority amid the turbulent energy situation. "Our import policy is completely based on this goal as a guide". According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), India pointed out that many western countries, including the United States, continue to maintain trade relations with Russia.

Faced with Trump's latest statement on 21 December, New Delhi did not confirm it. An Indian Foreign Ministry official said there were no new comments on Trump's latest remarks. The Indian Times that Modi only sent thanks on social platforms for Trump's lightning festival greetings and did not directly respond to claims about the Russian oil issue.

According to Reuters, White House officials said Indian refineries have gradually reduced imports of Russian oil, but Indian sources have revealed that they have not yet observed a decline in purchases.

According to the Economic Times of India, since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, India has become one of the main buyers of Russian discounted oil.At present, despite the U.S. efforts to restrict India's imports of Russian oil, Russian oil still accounts for about one-third of India's total imports.

In addition, Bloomberg quoted the Indian newspaper as saying informed sources revealed that India and the United States are about to reach a trade agreement that could cut current tariffs on India¡¯s exports from 50% to 15% to 16%, and that India may agree to gradually reduce oil imports from Russia.

India to buy Russian missiles for 100 billion rubles

Just as Trump reiterated India's purchase of Russian oil, India-Russia defense cooperation is accelerating. According to a report by India's Asia News International (ANI) on the 21st, India is planning to purchase missiles worth about 100 billion rupees (about 8.1 billion yuan) from Russia to upgrade its S-400 air defense system. According to Indian defense sources, the Indian Ministry of Defense may formally consider the procurement proposal on the 23rd.

Earlier, the Russian satellite news agency that India and Russia had signed an agreement for the purchase of five S-400 air defense missile systems as early as 2018. ANI noted that the two sides also discussed India's plans to introduce more S-400 and S-500 air defense systems, while India also considered purchasing new types of air-to-air missiles from Russia to enhance its oversight operational capabilities.

In addition to air defense systems, India is seeking to expand its share of trade with Russia. India's "Economic Times" said on the 22nd that the bilateral trade volume between India and Russia has increased significantly, and India's exports to Russia have expanded from traditional industries such as machinery and pharmaceuticals to diversified fields such as aluminum products and clothing. India is also exploring opportunities to export seafood and agricultural products to Russia.

ANI said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in December, and the leaders of the two sides will further discuss strengthening military cooperation.