US President Donald Trump reiterated  that India will significantly reduce its oil purchases from Russia by the end of the year. Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance, Trump stated that after the process of ‘gradual’ phasing out, India will bring it ‘down to almost nothing’. The Republican leader’s remarks came ahead of his diplomatic visit to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.

“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 significant amount, accounting for almost 40 percent of the oil. India has been great. Spoke to Prime Minister Modi yesterday and they have been absolutely great,” President Trump told reporters at the White House, while hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

However, India denies Trump’s statement or any such agreement between the two countries. Trump had earlier imposed 25 percent tariffs with an additional 25% penalty on Indian goods for buying Russian oil. He had repeatedly urged New Delhi to diversify its energy sources.

Biden And Obama Forced China And Russia Together: Trump

The US President is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. On China’s relationship with Russia, Trump claimed that it is somewhat distinct. “China is a little bit different. They have a slightly different relationship with Russia. It was never good, but because of Biden and Obama, they got forced together. They should never have been forced together… They (China-Russia) can’t be friendly… I hope they are friendly, but they can’t be… Biden and Obama forced them together because of energy and oil. They are closer than they would normally be. I’ll probably be talking about it. What I’ll really be talking to him about is how we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it’s through oil or energy or anything else. I think he’s going to be very receptive,” he said.