Washington: Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, months after Washington imposed punitive measures over such imports.
“He’s assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a joint news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Oval Office. “You can’t do it immediately. It’s a bit of a process, but the process is going to be over soon,” he added.
‘A friend of mine’
When asked by ANI if he viewed India as a reliable partner, Trump said, “Yeah, sure. He’s (PM Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.”
The former US President reiterated his close ties with the Indian leader, saying, “He’s a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know.”
Criticism over Russian oil
Trump also criticised India’s earlier purchases of Russian oil, saying, “We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that lets Russia continue with this ridiculous war, where they’ve lost a million and a half people — soldiers mostly.”
Calling the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict “a war that should have never started,” Trump said, “Russia should have won in the first week, and now they’re going into the fourth year. I want to see it stop. So I was not happy that India was buying oil.”
On PM Modi’s meeting with US envoy-designate
Responding to a question about PM Modi’s recent meeting with US Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor, Trump praised the Prime Minister’s leadership.
“I think they were great. Modi is a great man,” Trump said. “He (Gor) told me that PM Modi loves Trump. I’ve watched India for years. It’s an incredible country. Every single year you would have a new leader — some would last a few months. And now my friend has been there for a long time.”
‘India’s stance could help end war’
Trump said ending India’s oil imports from Russia could make it easier to end the Ukraine war. “All we want from President Putin is to stop this — stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians. The hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin is a big obstacle. But I think we’ll get them. If India doesn’t buy oil, it makes it much easier,” he said.
‘I prevented India-Pakistan nuclear war’
Trump once again claimed that he had averted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan during his presidency.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan got up the other day and said beautifully, ‘You saved millions of lives.’ He told a group of people right in this office. What he’s referring to is the fact that it would have been a nuclear war with India. That was getting very close — seven aircraft were shot down,” Trump said.
