The TOI Correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India is not going to be buying “too much oil” from Moscow, suggesting that he had received assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that New Delhi would be tapering Russian oil purchases without completely stopping the transactions. “I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war (between Russia and Ukraine) end as much as I do. They’re not going to be buying too much oil,” Trump said at a White House Diwali event at which he lit a diya (lamp) in the Oval Office. “So they’ve cut it way back, and they’re continuing to cut it way back…” he added. Trump also dropped a clanger at the Diwali event by disclosing he and Modi talked about “let’s have no war with Pakistan,” although he appeared to be talking about an earlier conversation on the subject. New Delhi prefers to deal with Islamabad on a bilateral basis and has made it clear that Pakistan cannot inflict terror attacks on India under a nuclear umbrella. “He’s a great person and he’s become a great friend of mine,” Trump said of Modi, in line with his personalised approach to countries he is at odds with, including China, Russia, and Brazil. PM Modi confirmed Trump’s call in a social media post, thanking him for his Diwali wishes, but he did not address the issue of capping Russian oil. Instead, he hoped the “two great democracies” would “continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms,” implicitly conveying New Delhi’s concerns about the US president emboldening Pakistan’s use of terrorism against India under a nuclear umbrella with his recent embrace of the Pakistani military. Trump appeared to dial down his earlier claims that India would halt buying Russian oil completely (“a big stop” he had called it), with the latest comments providing some wiggle room for both sides to press ahead with direct talks on trade and tariffs. Oil trade circles are not reporting any significant tapering in Indian oil purchases from Russia, much of which is routed through private players with future contracts. The two leaders could meet as soon as early next week on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Malaysia where Trump is heading to over the weekend. PM Modi’s trip has not been announced and could depend on whether the two leaders have something substantive on hand beyond mere optics, handshakes, and hugs. A targeted trimming of Russian oil purchases by India could result in a concurrent lowering of US tariffs on Indian exports. “I love the people of India. We’re working on some great deals between our countries,” Trump said, hinting at upcoming agreements as he greeted the people of India on Diwali while celebrating the festival of lights in the White House. The event was attended by prominent Indian-Americans in the administration and the corporate world, with the US president seeming to want to repair some of the self-inflicted damage to his ratings in a country where he had a high approval numbers before the tariff capers. Following the Asean meet, Trump is also scheduled to visit Japan for bilateral talks before concluding his Asia visit in Gyeongju, South Korea, where is expected to meet China’s President Xi Jinping. Leaders of Russia, China, and India appear to be leery of meeting Trump because of what some diplomats say is lack of serious preparation by US interlocutors and his penchant for public diplomacy and grandstanding before the media. At the Diwali event, Trump also reeled back on a meeting he had announced with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest, saying it would be a waste of time and he did not want an unproductive meeting. Trump wants Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire at the current battlefront, but Moscow has indicated it needs guarantees that Ukraine will remain neutral and not be drafted into Nato, conditions that are unacceptable to Kiev and its European partners who fear future Russian transgressions.
