13.11.2025, New Delhi.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that India has sharply reduced its imports of Russian oil are made to maintain his own image and to exert pressure on New Delhi, Rossa Primavera News Agency‘s India Desk wrote.
On November 11, Trump once again stated that India had stopped importing oil from Russia, “The tariffs on India are really high because of the Russian oil [imports], but they have now substantially reduced Russian oil [imports].” The US president added , “So we will be bringing the tariffs down.”
This statement, like Trump’s previous remarks on the subject, is based on two premises. First, it is important for the US president to maintain the illusion of success in his actions. Therefore, he creates the image that India has yielded to his ultimatum and abandoned Russian oil.
Second, he continues to apply pressure on the Indian government, emphasizing that if it stops importing oil from Russia, the tariffs will be lifted.
In reality, there are no grounds to believe that India’s imports of Russian oil have been halted or even significantly reduced. Senior representatives in New Delhi have repeatedly stressed that India will not give in to US blackmail or abandon its highly profitable oil imports from Russia under pressure.
No official news has emerged about any progress in trade negotiations between India and the United States for quite some time, suggesting that neither side has retreated from its position.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
