Like China, India Scaling Back Oil Purchases From Russia, Claims White House Press Secretary

Last Updated:October 24, 2025, 03:51 IST

Karoline Leavitt claimed India agreed to scale back Russian oil imports, but New Delhi has repeatedly denied any such agreement, prioritising stable prices and secure supplies.

US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

The US on Thursday once again claimed that India has agreed to scale back its oil purchases from Russia.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “If you read the sanctions and look at them, they’re pretty hefty. I saw some international news out of China this morning that they’re scaling back oil purchases from Russia."

“We know India has done the same at the request of the President. The President has also pushed European countries, our allies, to stop their purchases of Russian oil as well. So it’s a full-court press for sure. We expect that these sanctions are going to do harm, as the Secretary of Treasury said yesterday," she told reporters at the press briefing.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump slapped major sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies after concluding that Vladimir Putin was not being “honest and forthright" in Ukraine talks.

According to a statement by the Treasury Department, the sanctions have been imposed on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft) and Lukoil OAO (Lukoil).

Speaking on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported statement that US sanctions won’t impact the Russian economy, Trump on Thursday said: “I am glad he feels that way. I’ll let you know about it in six months from now. Let’s see how it all works out…"

On October 22, Trump claimed that India will significantly reduce Russian oil imports by year-end citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance. He said the process of phasing out Russian oil imports will be gradual, claiming that India will bring it “down to almost nothing" by the end of the year.

“India, as you know, told me that they would stop. It is a process; you can’t just stop it. But by the end of the year, they will be down to almost nothing. That’s a big thing, that is almost 40 percent of the oil. India has been great. Spoke to Prime Minister Modi yesterday and they have been absolutely great," Trump said during an interaction with the media at the White House, while hosting NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.

India, however, has denied his claims to such an agreement over Russian oil. New Delhi stressed that its priority is to safeguard consumer interests and the energy policy prioritises stable prices and secure supplies.

News world Like China, India Scaling Back Oil Purchases From Russia, Claims White House Press Secretary

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