Trump Says India to ‘Almost Stop’ Buying Russian Oil by Year-End

US President Reiterates Claim; Says He Will Persuade China to Do the Same

PTI, Washington, Oct 23, 2025 :  US President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that India has agreed to "stop" buying oil from Russia and would bring them down to "almost nothing" by the end of the year. However, he said it is a process and will take some time.

Trump also said that he would try to persuade China to do the same. China and India are the two biggest buyers of Russian crude oil.

"India, as you know, has told me they are going to stop (buying Russian oil)... It's a process. You can't just stop... By the end of the year, they'll be down to almost nothing, almost 40 percent of the oil. India, they've been great. Spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi yesterday. They've been absolutely great," the president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump has been claiming for the past few days that India has assured him that it will significantly reduce its oil imports from Russia.

According to the US, India is helping Putin to finance the war through its purchase of Russian crude oil.

Trump said during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he would discuss with him ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

The president said that the relationship between China and Russia "is a little bit different".

Though Beijing's relationship with Moscow "was never good", it had changed due to the policies of the previous US administrations.

"China is a little bit different. They have a little bit different relationship with Russia. It was never good, but because of Biden and Obama, they got forced together. They should never have been forced together... by nature, they (China-Russia) can't be friendly... I hope they are friendly, but they can't be... Biden and Obama forced them together because of energy and oil. They are closer than they would normally be," he said.

Defending his trade policy, Trump credited tariffs for strengthening the US economy.

Asserting that tariffs were vital for America's prosperity, Trump said, "Without tariffs, the US would become a third-world country. I cannot let that happen. With tariffs, we are a rich, secure country; without them, we would be a laughing stock."