U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that India has “committed” to stop buying Russian oil and has already taken “significant steps” in that direction, even as he revoked the 25 per cent punitive tariffs imposed on India in August 2025. His assertion, made through an executive order issued alongside an India–U.S. interim trade framework, has stirred controversy in New Delhi, where the government has neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

Trump said the tariff rollback was conditional, warning that the duties could be reinstated if India “resumes” purchases of Russian crude. He also stated that India had signalled its intention to buy U.S. energy, a position that former Indian diplomats described as coercive and “plain bullying.”

The order directs U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to monitor India’s compliance on Russian oil imports, adding a layer of scrutiny to bilateral ties. The move has cast a shadow over celebrations surrounding the new trade framework, with both India’s Commerce Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) avoiding direct comments on the issue.

Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal criticised Washington for mixing geopolitics with trade, saying India’s energy purchases should not be tied to a bilateral deal. Former ambassador Manjeev Puri warned that the U.S. was exercising its hegemonic leverage, urging India to protect its strategic autonomy.

In a separate directive, Trump also threatened penalties against any country trading with Iran, further tightening U.S. pressure on India, which already curtailed Iranian oil imports in 2019–20 and faces potential sanctions over the Chabahar port project from April 2026.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal declined to comment on oil procurement questions, referring reporters to the MEA. The MEA reiterated that India’s energy strategy is based on market conditions and evolving global dynamics.

Data show that India’s Russian crude imports fell to a 38-month low in December 2025, dropping to about 25 per cent of total imports, while U.S. oil purchases rose by nearly 31 per cent year-on-year — a shift that has strengthened Trump’s claims even as New Delhi maintains diplomatic ambiguity.