Modi, Trump Have ‘Very Warm’ Phone Call Amid Trade Talks, Reduction In Russian Oil Imports
New Delhi: Two months after their last conversation and a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (December 11) that he had a “very warm and engaging” phone call with US President Donald Trump as India trims Russian crude imports and a US trade delegation in Delhi continues protracted discussions on a bilateral deal.
Modi posted on social media that the two leaders had discussed “regional and international developments”. There was no immediate confirmation or readout from the White House or from Trump.
“Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump,” Modi posted on X on Thursday. “We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations … India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity.”
The latest call comes approximately two months after Modi and Trump last spoke on October 9. During that conversation, Modi congratulated Trump on the progress of Gaza peace efforts and the leaders discussed ongoing trade negotiations between their two countries.
Days after that phone call, Trump triggered a political row in India when he claimed that Modi had “assured” him India would reduce its purchases of Russian crude oil.
India's Ministry of External Affairs responded with a carefully worded statement that made no direct reference to Trump's claim but emphasised India's sovereign approach to energy policy.
The Trump administration had earlier in the year doubled tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 50%, a punitive measure against New Delhi's continued energy ties with Moscow. Washington has argued that these purchases help fund Russia's war in Ukraine, an accusation India rejects as a "double standard", pointing to Europe’s own trade links with Russia.
Ahead of Putin’s visit to India last week, a senior Indian official repeated that energy sourcing is guided by commercial factors. He acknowledged that Western sanctions now shape the global market and influence Indian refiners’ decisions, contributing to a decline in Russian crude purchases.
During the state visit, Putin had assured “uninterrupted” fuel shipments to India.
According to new analyses by Kpler and Reuters, the composition of Indian buyers of Russian crude imports is shifting.
While India's state-run and private refiners have reduced their intake, potentially in response to sanctions risks, Nayara Energy, a refinery partly owned by Rosneft and already under European Union sanctions, has sharply increased its Russian crude intake.
Kpler estimates that Nayara’s Vadinar facility received about 658,000 barrels a day in December, up from 561,000 barrels a day in November and well above the 2025 average of 431,000 barrels a day. The refinery has a capacity of 405,000 barrels a day, indicating that Nayara is building stocks.
To offset the reduced Russian supply, Indian refiners have increased procurement from the Middle East, Latin America, West Africa, Canada and the US.
US crude deliveries to India surged to 568,000 barrels per day in October – the highest level since March 2021.
The latest call between Modi and Trump comes as a high-level US trade delegation is in India for talks on a possible bilateral trade agreement. The delegation is led by deputy US trade representative Rick Switzer.
At a hearing of the US Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, US trade representative Jamieson Greer said India remains a “tough nut to crack” in negotiations but added that Washington has received the “best offer ever” from New Delhi.
“There’s resistance in India to certain row crops and other meats and products. Like you said, they’re a very difficult nut to crack. I agree with that 100%,” Greer told lawmakers. “But they’ve been quite forward-leaning. The type of offers they’ve been talking to us about have been the best we’ve ever received, as a country.”
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