India US Relations: Trump Welcomes Reports of India Halting Oil Imports from Russia, But Are Indians Obliging ?

India-US relations are getting strained after Donald Trump received unverified news that India has ceased Russian oil imports as a good move. Nonetheless, the background scenario of the increasing US tariffs and India defending its relationship with Russia indicates the delivery of a greater diplomatic divide in the current Ukraine war.

#WATCH | "I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard, I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens..." says, US President Donald Trump on a question by ANI, if he had a number in mind for the… pic.twitter.com/qAbGUkpE12

— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2025

Trump on India’s Russian Oil Imports

Donald Trump has responded to media reports that Russian oil has stopped being imported by state-owned refineries in India because of shipping restrictions and lower discounts. In declaring this to be a good step, Trump has indicated that he is not sure whether the reports were accurate.

Tariffs & Trade Tensions

On July 30, the Trump administration charged Indian imports with a 25 percent tariff and other penalties. The reason? Russia and India still continued to trade in energy and had long-standing trade restrictions. Trump was not shy, labeling India and Russia as dead economies in one of his blazing posts on the online network.

India Defends Strategic Autonomy

India was firm in its response. Responding to the situation through his ministry, Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed the time-tested, stable relations of India with Russia. He reinstated the significance of the growing relationship between India and the US. He said he was sure that the bilateral relationship could endure the present tensions.

Are Indians Stopping Russian Oil?

Indian refiners such as IOC, HPCL, and BPCL are reported to have stopped buying Russian oil not as a result of political pressure but out of economic calculations of widening discounts and difficulties in transportation.