Donald Trump said earlier that as part of the latest round of duties he would impose an indefinite additional penalty on India, if they do not suspend the import of Russian oil. “I understand that India will no longer buy oil from Russia,” he said on Friday.
“I heard that. I don't know if it's true or not. It's a good step. We'll see what will happen,” he added.
On Saturday, however, two high -ranking Indian officials said that the country's policy had not changed. One of them pointed out that the government “did not give oil companies any commands” regarding the limitation of imports from Russia.
“Some officials and analysts say that Trump's focusing on the purchase of Russian oil by India can be a negotiating tactic, because India and the United States are trying to finalize the preliminary stages of a double -sided trade agreement. China and Turkey, two other significant importers of Russian oil, did not meet with similar threats from the part of Washington.” “NYT”.
India clearly increased the purchases of Russian oil since the beginning of aggression in Ukraine in 2022. Russia currently provides over a third of Indian oil imports – compared to less percent before the war. India is the second largest importer of Russian oil after China.
