New Delhi: India on September 26 strongly rejected NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin following Washington’s tariff hike on Indian goods.

Asked about Rutte’s comments in New York, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the statement was “factually incorrect and entirely baseless.”

“At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested. No such conversation has taken place,” Jaiswal told reporters at the weekly media briefing.

He stressed that India expects the “leadership of an important and esteemed institution like NATO to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in public statements,” adding that “speculative or careless remarks that misrepresent the Prime Minister’s engagements or suggest conversations that never occurred are unacceptable.”

Jaiswal also underlined that India’s energy imports are intended to secure “predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer” and said New Delhi “will continue taking all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”

Rutte, who was speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, had said that the new US tariffs “immediately impacts Russia because that means Delhi is now on the phone with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and Narendra Modi is asking, ‘hey I support you, but could you explain to me your strategy because I have now been hit by these 50% tariffs by the United States.’”

The United States announced the new tariffs in August 2025. A 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian exports came into effect on August 7, and later that month, Washington added a 25% penalty linked to India’s continued imports of Russian oil, effectively doubling the rate to 50%. The measure came into force on August 27. The tariffs target a wide range of India’s export sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, footwear, furniture and sporting goods, while electronics like smartphones and computers have been excluded.

According to official records, Modi and Putin have held several telephone conversations after the US tariffs were announced. 

On August 8, Modi held a conversation with Putin in which, according to the MEA readout, the Russian president briefed him on the “latest developments concerning Ukraine”. Modi reiterated India’s consistent position that the conflict must be resolved peacefully through dialogue, and the two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation. The Kremlin’s account of the call noted the same focus on Ukraine and bilateral ties. 

Ten days later, Putin telephoned Modi. The MEA said the Russian president briefed Modi on his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, while Modi thanked him for sharing his assessment and affirmed that India would continue to stay engaged. The Kremlin similarly reported that the conversation centred on the Alaska summit and prospects for resolving the Ukraine conflict.

The most recent interaction was on September 17, when Putin telephoned Modi to convey greetings on his 75th birthday. 

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