Is India Continuing to Purchase Russian Oil? US and India Give Conflicting Accounts as Trump Issues New Threat

The dispute between the US and India over India's imports of Russian oil has been ongoing. US President Trump recently threatened India again, stating that if India does not stop buying Russian oil, it will continue to pay "massive" tariffs.

According to a Reuters report, US President Trump claimed on the 15th that Indian Prime Minister Modi had promised him to reduce purchases of Russian oil, but this statement was refuted by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian side stated that it was unaware of any call between the two leaders that day and that New Delhi's primary concern is "protecting the interests of Indian consumers."

When asked about the matter on the 19th, Trump responded, "If they [the Indian side] want to say that, then they have to keep paying massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that."

India's Trade Ministry has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment.

So, has India actually reduced its purchases of Russian oil?

According to recent statements from White House officials, India has halved its purchases of Russian oil. However, Indian sources cited by Reuters said there are no signs of reduction yet.

Sources indicated that Indian refiners have already placed orders for November, with some shipments expected to arrive in December. Therefore, whether imports have decreased will be reflected in India's import data for December or January next year.

Furthermore, estimates from commodity data company Kpler suggest that India's imports of Russian oil in October are expected to increase by approximately 20%, reaching 1.9 million barrels per day.