British News Agency

On Wednesday, Trump claimed that Modi had assured him that “today” India would stop buying Russian oil.

Trump told reporters, “I wasn’t happy about India buying oil, and Modi assured me today that they won’t be buying oil from Russia anymore. You know, you can’t do that instantly. It takes some time, but the process will end soon,” adding that he would also convince China to do the same.

However, at a press conference on Thursday, Indian officials appeared to refute the U.S. president’s claim, stating that “there was no phone call yesterday between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump.”

Maintaining strong ties with the Kremlin, India has become one of the largest buyers of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine.

India has taken a firm stance, stating that it will not allow the United States to interfere in defining its energy needs or in its Cold War–era relationship with Russia. Russia also remains India’s largest arms supplier.