India seeks to import more US oil and gas under pressure from Trump to
stop Russian oil purchases
[October 16, 2025] By
RAJESH ROY
NEW DELHI (AP) — India says it is looking to step up purchases of crude
oil and natural gas from the U.S. as it diversifies its energy supplies
and confronts criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump over its imports
of discounted Russian oil.
Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
personally assured him his country would stop buying Russian oil, in a
move that might add to pressure on Moscow to negotiate an end to the war
in Ukraine.
“There will be no oil. He’s not buying oil,” Trump said. The change
won’t take immediately, he said, but “within a short period of time.”
India is the second biggest buyer of Russian oil after China. Trump
cited its purchases from Moscow when he announced 50% tariffs on imports
from India in August.
A statement Thursday by India's foreign ministry did not address Trump’s
remarks directly. It said the government’s consistent priority was to
safeguard the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy
environment.
“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin
goals of our energy policy. This includes broad basing our energy
sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,”
said Randhir Jaiswal, a ministry spokesman.
He said the Trump administration had shown interest in deepening energy
cooperation and talks on that were underway.
Expanding India's energy dealings with the U.S. could help India
mitigate supply disruptions and align with Washington’s push to reduce
global dependence on Russian oil.
India’s Trade Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said Wednesday that India was
willing to increase its purchases of American oil and natural gas if
prices were competitive.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with India's Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 13, 2025,
in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
 Agarwal told reporters India has
been buying around $12-$13 billion worth of crude oil and gas from
the U.S. annually and there was room to nearly double that without
causing disruptions for Indian refiners.
A team of Indian government officials was visiting the U.S. to
discuss a bilateral trade agreement that includes energy
cooperation, he said.
“In discussions we are in, we have indicated very positively that
India as a country would like to diversify its portfolio as far as
energy imports are concerned. That’s the best strategy for a big
buyer like India,” said Agarwal.
In February, Modi and Trump set a target of finalizing the first
tranche of a trade agreement by autumn. Talks were suspended after
five formal rounds of negotiations after Trump expressed displeasure
over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. He said that was
helping to fuel Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Trump has been frustrated by his inability to force an end to the
war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion almost four years
ago. He’s expressed dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir
Putin, whom he increasingly describes as the primary obstacle to a
resolution, and he’s scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
In recent weeks, Modi has engaged positively on Trump’s social media
posts, including the one about first stage of a peace deal between
Israel and Hamas, suggesting New Delhi is keen to expand cooperation
with the U.S. In turn, Trump called Modi his “friend” and wished him
well on his birthday last month.
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