No word from India on halting oil buys, says Kremlin

Moscow: Russia has not heard any statements from India about stopping Russian oil purchases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela.” “We haven’t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter yet,” Peskov said. The Kremlin spokesman also said that Russia intends to continue to develop its relations with India in every possible way, according to Russian media reports. Sources in Russia’s energy ministry said they have not received any notice from Indian refiners to cancel contracts. In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who spoke with PM Modi on Monday, announced that India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will charge a reduced reciprocal tariff on Delhi, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. Trump last year imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including 25 per cent levies for its purchases of Russian energy.