On October 16, 2025, President Trump announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to stop purchasing oil from Russia. This move is seen as Washington’s effort to cut Moscow’s energy income, further contributing to the end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to Trump, he was not pleased with India’s oil purchases from Russia but Modi assured him days ago that India “will no longer buy oil from Russia.”
“This is an important step,” Trump pointed out. “Now I have to make China do the same.”
“Compared to what we just finished in the Middle East last week, that is relatively easy,” he added. “I think we will get it done.”
Trump mentioned that India may not stop imports “immediately,” but emphasized that it would be “a small process, and this process will end quickly.”
However, despite Trump’s announcement, both the Indian Embassy in the US and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to media requests for comments. It is currently unclear when India will gradually halt its purchases of Russian energy.
India and China are the two largest buyers of Russian seaborne crude oil exports, with Russia being India’s largest oil supplier, accounting for about one-third of India’s oil imports.
To prevent India from buying Russian oil, the Trump administration has taken strong economic measures. In August, Trump announced a 25% tariff increase on goods exported from India to the US, bringing the total tariff on New Delhi to 50%, citing that India’s oil purchases from Russia were “fueling” Moscow’s war efforts. Since then, Trump has also urged European countries to take more action in limiting their purchases of Russian oil.
On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also stated that during a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato in Washington on October 15, the US expressed its expectation for Japan to cease importing Russian energy.
Bessent wrote on X, “I also discussed with Minister Kato the important issues of US-Japan economic relations and the US government’s expectation for Japan to stop importing Russian energy.”
Amid months of sustained pressure from the US, Indian officials have argued that buying Russian oil is crucial for the country’s energy security, leading to escalated tensions between the US and India.
While importing from other oil-producing countries may lead to additional costs for India, the drop in oil prices can mitigate the impact. Concerns over oversupply in the market have caused international benchmark Brent crude oil futures to hit a five-month low on Wednesday.
If India stops importing, it will mark a significant shift for Moscow’s primary energy customer, potentially altering the calculations of other countries that import Russian oil. Trump hopes to pressure Russia through bilateral relations to strengthen economic isolation rather than solely relying on multilateral sanctions.
A few days ago, Sergio Gor, Trump’s newly appointed ambassador to India, who is seen as a positive signal for US-India bilateral relations, met with Modi. The two discussed defense, trade, and technology issues. Gor is a close ally of Trump and his appointment is seen as a positive signal for the US-India bilateral relationship.