US President Donald Trump made a controversial statement on Wednesday, October 15, at the White House, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India would stop purchasing Russian oil. However, even with Trump’s warnings, evidence shows India bought even more oil from Russia after Trump talked about tariffs, which makes people wonder if Trump is telling the truth.
Trump’s words vs reality
Trump told reporters, “I wasn’t happy India was buying oil from Russia, and he told me they’re not going to. That’s a big deal.” However, the Indian government hasn’t said anything to back this up and their actions don’t suggest they are going to stop buying Russian oil.
In September 2025, India imported 1.6 million barrels of oil per day from Russia, which is about a third of all the oil India imports. Data from Kpler shows that even after Trump mentioned raising tariffs by up to 50% in August, India kept buying Russian oil. Actually, when Trump started making threats, some private oil companies increased their Russian oil purchases by up to 7.5%, proving Trump wrong.
India’s consistent position
India has always said that buying Russian oil is needed for its energy supply. In August 2025, when Trump put on 50% tariffs, Prime Minister Modi told his supporters, I know I might pay a high price for this. But I’m okay with it. India said the US accusations were unnecessary, and that it has the right to buy oil from any country it wants for its own needs.
Trump’s history of false statements
This isn’t the first time Trump has said things about India that are doubtful or untrue. He also recently made a statement about the India-Pakistan ceasefire that wasn’t confirmed. He said it happened because of him, but neither country said he was involved. This shows that Trump often makes statements for political reasons without checking if they are true, which hurts his reliability on global issues.
Experts think that if India stopped buying Russian oil, like Trump claims, it would hurt the Indian economy. The country’s yearly oil import costs could go up by about $12 billion. Russian oil is usually cheaper by $5-10 per barrel, which helps India keep its energy supply secure and control fuel prices. No smart Indian government would give up these cost savings because of pressure from the US that isn’t backed by facts.
Why Trump’s statement doesn’t make sense
There are reasons to doubt what Trump is saying. First, India has openly defended its right to buy Russian oil. Second, the amount of oil bought hasn’t decreased, and might have increased, after Trump’s warnings. Third, India hasn’t confirmed any of this. Fourth, Trump has a history of making false statements about India, like with the Pakistan ceasefire event. The evidence suggests Trump is making this up for political gain at home.
Trump’s statement that Modi told him India would stop buying Russian oil is not confirmed, and the Indian government hasn’t backed it up. Data shows that Russia is still India’s biggest oil supplier, and trade has continued despite Trump’s threats and tariffs. This is similar to Trump’s false statement about the India-Pakistan ceasefire, which shows a worrying habit of misrepresenting things. India has made it clear that its energy supply is important and it won’t change its plans because of outside pressure.
Trump’s unsupported statements could cause problems in US-India relations and make people question his truthfulness on international matters. Until India officially agrees to anything, Trump’s statement should be seen as another example of him trying to create diplomatic wins that aren’t real.
