On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, the Congress party sharply criticized the government, noting that former U.S. President Donald Trump had raised the issue of India’s oil imports from Russia three times in just five days. According to the Congress, Trump effectively dismissed attempts by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to deny any discussion where Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly promised to halt Russian oil purchases.
This strong stance from the Opposition followed Trump’s renewed assertions that India would face substantial tariffs if it continued its oil trade with Russia. He also reiterated his claim of receiving assurances from Prime Minister Modi that India would indeed discontinue its oil imports from Moscow.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, pointed out that this was the third time in five days that President Trump had brought up India’s Russian oil imports. Ramesh suggested that Trump would likely continue to emphasize this point, especially with his upcoming meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Budapest later in the week.
He highlighted Trump’s assertion that he had spoken with Prime Minister Modi, who supposedly promised to halt these imports. Despite the Ministry of External Affairs stating its unawareness of such discussions, Ramesh noted that Trump had unequivocally dismissed the MEA’s denials.
During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated his warning that India would continue to incur significant tariffs if it did not cease its Russian oil purchases, implying India’s reluctance to face such penalties.
These remarks came as Trump responded to inquiries regarding India’s stance on Russian oil acquisitions.
In a previous jab at Prime Minister Modi on Saturday, October 18, 2025, the Congress had remarked that the Prime Minister inexplicably became “Mauni Baba” (a silent sage) whenever Trump claimed credit for resolving the India-Pakistan conflict or alleged that India would reduce its Russian oil imports.
This earlier criticism from Congress came after Trump again claimed that India would stop buying oil from Russia, asserting that the nation had already “de-escalated” its stance and was “pulling back” from these purchases.
It marked the second time Trump had made these specific claims regarding India’s oil buying intentions.
On Thursday, October 16, 2025, India clarified its energy procurement strategy, stating it was “broad-basing and diversifying” its sources to adapt to market conditions. This statement was made just hours after Trump’s initial claim that Prime Minister Modi had assured him New Delhi would cease purchasing Russian crude oil.
Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), addressed inquiries about Trump’s comments regarding Modi’s alleged assurance on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Jaiswal stated he was unaware of any such phone conversation and emphasized that India’s oil acquisition decisions are driven by the need to protect Indian consumer interests amidst a “volatile” global energy market.
The Congress party further alleged that Prime Minister Modi appeared “frightened” of Trump, suggesting that key policy decisions were being outsourced to the U.S.
The opposition also claimed that the Modi government’s foreign policy had “completely collapsed.” They urged the Central government to engage opposition leaders, either through an all-party meeting or individual consultations, to build confidence.
Meanwhile, Washington has consistently maintained that India’s ongoing purchases of Russian crude oil are effectively helping to finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington have been severely strained, particularly after Trump dramatically increased tariffs on Indian goods to a staggering 50%. This included an additional 25% duty specifically targeting India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
India condemned these U.S. actions, labeling them as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”