- India denied US President Trump's claim of a recent call with Prime Minister Modi
- No discussion occurred between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, MEA said
- Trump claimed PM Modi assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil soon
India on Thursday firmly denied claims made by US President Donald Trump that he had a recent telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which, he alleges, the PM "assured" him India would cease purchasing oil from Russia.
Responding to the US President's claim, the Centre clarified that no such conversation had taken place.
"Regarding the comment from the US on the 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," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said today.
The clarification followed comments made by Trump at the White House, where he spoke at length about his rapport with PM Modi and the bilateral relationship between India and the US. Calling PM Modi "a great man" and India "an incredible country," Trump suggested that the two leaders had spoken recently and might meet on the sidelines of the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.
When asked about the possibility of that meeting, Trump replied, "Yeah, sure, he's a friend of mine. We have a great relationship." He went on to say, "He's a great man. He loves Trump. I have watched India for years. It's an incredible country, and every single year you'd have a new leader. I mean, some would be in there for a few months, and this was year after year after year. And my friend has been there now for a long time."
In his remarks, Trump claimed that PM Modi had "assured" him that India would not be buying oil from Russia. "He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia," Trump claimed. "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 to stop this."
Trump added that if India stopped buying Russian oil, it would make it "much easier" to end the Russia-Ukraine 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 said.
Trump also introduced the newly appointed US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who was present in the Oval Office during the press briefing. "We have the new ambassador to India right here. They're well represented. You better represent us, not them, okay? But Sergio is going to do a great job," he said.
Following the remarks, the Centre reiterated India's long-standing policy on energy imports, stressing that New Delhi's decisions are guided by the interests of Indian consumers and national energy security and not foreign political considerations.
"India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," the MEA said in a written statement.
The ministry also underlined that India's approach to energy security rests on two pillars - stable prices and assured supply. "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," it said.
On the question of energy cooperation with Washington, the MEA noted that India has, for several years, sought to expand its energy engagement with the United States. "Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," the statement added.
