- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Kremlin on Tuesday responded to US President Donald Trump’s claim that India would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with Washington, saying it had received no such indication from New Delhi so far. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there have been no talks with India on ending oil purchases.
Peskov stressed that Russia intends to continue developing its relations with India “in every possible way,” according to Russian media reports, underscoring Moscow’s intent to maintain strategic and energy cooperation with New Delhi.
Trump Announces Trade Deal
On Monday, Trump said he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced a trade deal between India and the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the leaders discussed trade as well as “ending the War with Russia and Ukraine.”
“He (Modi) agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela,” Trump claimed, adding that such a move would help end the Ukraine war.
While India has confirmed the trade agreement with the US, it has not issued any public statement on halting purchases of Russian crude. Government sources told India Today that New Delhi will continue buying oil from global markets where there are no sanctions, based on market rates.
Officials said India avoided Venezuelan oil when sanctions were in place and may now consider purchases after sanctions were lifted. Russia has not received any communication from India regarding stopping oil imports, Peskov reiterated.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil needs. Russian oil accounted for a negligible share of India’s imports before 2022, but India became the largest buyer of discounted Russian crude after Western countries shunned Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. According to data from analytics firm Kpler, India’s imports of Russian crude dipped to around 1.1 million barrels per day in early January, down from higher levels recorded in mid-2025.