U.S. Officials Deny India Cut Russian Oil Imports by 50%

According to Reuters on the 17th, a U.S. White House official said that India had cut its imports of Russian oil by 50%, but Indian sources said there was no clear evidence of a reduction yet.

Recently, President Trump told reporters at the White House that Prime Minister Modi of India had promised him over the phone that India would no longer buy Russian oil, "This is a very important step."

A White House official told Reuters that this week's U.S.-India delegation meeting held in Washington was "productive," and said that Indian refineries had cut their imports of Russian oil by 50%.

On the other hand, Indian industry insiders emphasized that the Indian government has not yet asked refineries to reduce Russian oil imports.

It is reported that Indian refineries have issued orders for November shipments, including some goods arriving in December, so if there is a reduction in imports, the import data in December or January next year will reflect it.

However, according to Kpler, a commodities data company, due to the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India's Russian oil imports this month are expected to increase by about 20%, reaching 1.9 million barrels per day.

Regarding Trump's statement that India agreed to stop buying Russian oil, on the 16th, the Russian side responded that Russia mainly refers to official statements from India on energy procurement and will make judgments based on that.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Suri said on the same day that India's import policy is entirely guided by national interests. AFP interpreted this as India neither confirming nor denying any shift in its policy on purchasing Russian oil.

In the late evening of the 16th, Suri made another response during his weekly briefing, denying that the two heads of state had spoken, "As for whether Prime Minister Modi and President Trump had any conversation or call, I am not aware of any conversation between the two leaders yesterday."

The Trump administration has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to the United States, and trade negotiations between the two countries are still ongoing. U.S. negotiators previously told Indian officials that reducing Russian crude oil imports is an important condition for reaching a trade agreement.

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