Trump announced the India-US trade deal on Monday and said that the tariffs on Indian goods have been reduced from 50 per cent to 18 per cent in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases.
The Times of Russia Russia news reports that the Kremlin has said it has received no official communication from India regarding any decision to stop purchasing Russian oil, despite claims made by US President Donald Trump following the announcement of an India–US trade agreement.
Trump stated on Monday that Washington had reduced tariffs on Indian goods from 50 percent to 18 percent after New Delhi allegedly agreed to halt imports of Russian crude. However, Moscow has pushed back on this assertion, saying it has not been informed of any such move.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia has not heard any formal statement from the Indian government on stopping energy purchases. He emphasized that while Moscow respects bilateral relations between the United States and India, Russia places equal importance on its long-standing strategic partnership with New Delhi.
Peskov stressed that strengthening ties with India remains a priority for Russia and confirmed that Moscow intends to continue developing cooperation across multiple sectors, including energy.
Trump, while announcing the trade deal, claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to end Russian oil imports and instead increase purchases from the United States and possibly Venezuela. He argued that such a shift would help reduce funding for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
India has been one of the largest buyers of Russian crude since the Ukraine conflict began, importing approximately 1.5 million barrels per day, according to global trade data firm Kpler. This accounts for more than one-third of India’s total oil imports, making the country the second-largest consumer of Russian oil after China.
New Delhi has consistently defended its energy strategy, stating that Russian oil is critical to maintaining national energy security. India depends heavily on imports to meet domestic demand and has historically sourced most of its military equipment from Russia rather than energy supplies.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, India took advantage of discounted Russian oil, allowing Moscow to sustain revenues while India secured affordable energy. As recently as December 2025, President Vladimir Putin reiterated during a visit to India that Russia was prepared to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies despite mounting pressure from the United States.
Although Trump previously claimed that India would begin buying American oil after talks with Prime Minister Modi, those discussions failed to produce concrete results. Even punitive tariffs imposed by Washington did not significantly alter India’s stance on Russian energy imports.
