Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L).
Credit: PTI Photo
Moscow: The Kremlin said on Tuesday it had heard no statements from India about halting purchases of Russian oil after US President Donald Trump said New Delhi had agreed to stop such purchases as part of a trade accord with Washington.
US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal on Monday with India that slashes US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was carefully analysing Trump's remarks on relations with India.
Asked directly if India had decided to stop buying Russian oil, Peskov said: "So far, we have not heard any statements from Delhi on this issue."
"We respect bilateral US-Indian relations," Peskov told reporters. "But we attach no less importance to the development of an advanced strategic partnership between Russia and India.
"This is the most important thing for us," he said, "and we intend to further develop our bilateral relations with Delhi."
India became the top buyer of discounted Russian seaborne crude after Moscow's war in Ukraine began in 2022. That generated a backlash among Western nations that have targeted Russia's energy sector with sanctions aimed at curbing Moscow's revenues to make it harder to fund the war.