Washington, Oct 18 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his claim that India has “de-escalated” on buying Russian oil, as he met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

“India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore. And they have already de-escalated, and they have more or less stopped; they are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they won’t be doing it anymore,” he added.

Trump on Wednesday asserted that he has been “assured” that India won’t be buying oil from Russia, while adding that he understood that it couldn’t be done “immediately.”

“He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia…You can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon, and all we want from President Putin is…stop this,” he noted.

He added that if India doesn’t buy Russian oil, it makes it “much easier” to end the conflict.

“Within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia, and they’ll go back to Russia after the war’s over,” he emphasised.

Trump also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great man” and India as “an incredible country.”

On Thursday, India rejected claims made by the US President Donald Trump of having a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump on Wednesday had claimed that, during a telephonic conversation, PM Modi has “assured” him that India won’t be buying oil from Russia.

When asked whether there was a conversation between PM Modi and the US President, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded during a weekly media briefing: “Regarding the comment from the US on energy issue, we have already issued a statement, which you can refer to. As for the telephonic conversation, I can say that there has been no discussion between the Prime Minister and President Trump”.

While India has started buying Russian oil in the last few years, China is Moscow’s biggest energy buyer.

The Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India in August for purchasing Russian oil while taking no action against China.

Trump’s statements come as India’s trade negotiating team is in Washington for the next round of talks with US officials.

On Wednesday, the Commerce Ministry stated that India can import more crude oil and natural gas worth $12-$13 billion from the US without altering the configuration of the refineries. The government is keen to diversify the country’s energy import portfolio, subject to availability at the “right price.”

Trade talks resume in Washington days after the new US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi.

–IANS

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