Kremlin says no confirmation from India on stopping Russian oil imports

India has not made any statement on halting purchases of Russian oil despite claims by US President Donald Trump that such a step was part of a new trade accord with Washington, the Kremlin said on Tuesday (3 February).

Trump announced a trade deal with India on Monday (2 February) that would cut US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange for New Delhi ending Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers. He said the agreement followed a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that India would begin buying oil from the United States and potentially Venezuela.

A White House official told Reuters that Washington would also rescind a punitive 25% duty on all imports from India linked to its purchases of Russian oil. That levy had been imposed on top of an existing 25% “reciprocal” tariff rate.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was carefully analysing Trump’s remarks on relations with India.

Asked directly whether India had decided to stop buying Russian oil, Peskov said: “So far, we have not heard any statements from Delhi on this issue.”

“We respect bilateral US-Indian relations,” he told reporters. “But we attach no less importance to the development of an advanced strategic partnership between Russia and India.

“This is the most important thing for us,” he added, “and we intend to further develop our bilateral relations with Delhi.”

• U.S. to cut India tariffs to 18% as New Delhi stops buying Russian oil
• View: India navigates defence and trade with Russia while courting global partners

India became the top buyer of discounted Russian seaborne crude after Moscow’s war in Ukraine began in 2022, a shift that triggered backlash among Western nations. Those countries have imposed sanctions on Russia’s energy sector in an effort to curb Moscow’s revenues and limit its ability to fund the war.

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