US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a trade deal between the United States and India, claiming that reciprocal tariffs will be cut to 18 percent and that India has agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil. The announcement followed a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was made through a series of posts on Truth Social. While Trump linked the oil shift to efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, New Delhi has not confirmed any such commitment.
In his post, Trump said PM Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead increase imports from the US and potentially Venezuela. He argued that cutting Russia’s energy revenues would help bring an end to the Ukraine conflict, claiming thousands of people are dying every week.
Describing PM Modi as a “powerful and respected leader”, Trump said the leaders discussed trade and global security issues, adding that the oil decision was part of a wider effort to restore peace.
He also said the move was agreed “effective immediately”, alongside a new trade deal that would see US reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods reduced to 18 percent.
However, India’s official readout of the conversation did not mention any commitment to stop Russian oil purchases.
In a social media post, PM Modi said he had a “wonderful” conversation with Trump and thanked him for lowering tariffs on “Made in India” products to 18 percent. The Prime Minister highlighted progress in bilateral relations and cooperation on regional and global issues but made no reference to changes in India’s energy sourcing.
Crucially, New Delhi also did not confirm Trump’s claim that India would move to reduce all tariffs and non-tariff barriers to zero.
The absence of these details in India’s statement has raised questions over whether Trump’s assertions reflect formal policy commitments or remain part of ongoing negotiations.
India has significantly increased imports of discounted Russian crude since the start of the Ukraine war, citing domestic energy needs and price stability. Any shift away from Russian oil would represent a major change in India’s energy strategy and would likely require official confirmation from the government.
For now, while Trump has publicly framed the move as agreed, India has limited its response to trade-related developments.
