'Modi Knew I Wasn't Happy' - Trump on India's Russian Oil Purchases

PTI, January 05, 2026, New York/Washington : US President Donald Trump has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew that "I was not happy" with India's purchases of Russian oil and that Washington could raise tariffs on New Delhi "very quickly."

Trump made the comments while speaking to reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One en route to Washington DC from Florida.

"They (India) wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It would be very bad for them," Trump said.

His remarks came after US Senator Lindsey Graham, who was accompanying him on Air Force One, stated that the tariffs imposed on India by Trump are the "chief reason" New Delhi is now buying substantially less Russian oil. Graham discussed his tariff bill, which seeks to impose 500 per cent levies on imports from countries buying Russian oil. He argued that to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pressure must be applied on Russian President Vladimir Putin's customers.

Trump stated that the sanctions are hurting Russia very badly, then mentioned India. Graham added that the US had imposed a 25 per cent tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil. "I was at the Indian Ambassador's house about a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how they are buying less Russian oil," Graham said. He further added that the Indian envoy had asked him, "Would you tell the President to relieve the tariff?"

There were no immediate comments from Indian officials regarding Graham's statement.

Kwatra, the Indian Ambassador to the US, hosted some US Senators, including Graham, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, Peter Welch, Dan Sullivan, and Markwayne Mullin, at India House, the official residence of the Ambassador of India in Washington, DC, last month.

Trump has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on India, the highest in the world, including 25 per cent for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, which is then refined into fuels like petrol and diesel. Russian oil accounted for less than 0.2 per cent of India’s total crude oil imports until 2021. However, after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Russian oil became available at discounted prices due to Western sanctions, and Indian refiners quickly seized the opportunity.

According to real-time data analytics company Kpler, Russian crude imports into India are expected to drop to around 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, down from 1.84 million bpd in November, marking the lowest level since December 2022.

Indian refiners continue to buy Russian crude from non-sanctioned entities.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, became the largest buyer of discounted Russian crude after Western countries shunned Moscow following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Traditionally reliant on Middle Eastern oil, India sharply increased its Russian imports as sanctions and reduced European demand made barrels available at steep discounts, pushing Russia’s share from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent of total crude imports.

In December, Russia remained India’s top supplier, but its share fell to less than a quarter of all oil imports, down from about a third in November.