Trump Confirms Modi Pledged to Move Away From Russian Oil

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to move away from Russian oil, marking a significant shift in global geopolitics.

Trump stated yesterday that Modi had agreed to taper off India's usage of Russian oil, helping them to avoid major tariffs from the United States.

In August, Trump expressed his discontent with India over Russian oil– prior to the Russia-Ukraine War, India did not purchase much Russian oil, but their demands surged during the war, making them Russia's largest buyer.

Trump tried to convince Modi to move away from Russian oil, as he has done with the European Union, but Modi refused. Trump was left bristling at this and placed an additional 25% tariff on India, bringing the levy to a staggering 50%.

However, Modi confirmed yesterday that they would slowly decrease their reliance on Russian oil, meeting Trump's demands. While the change will not take place immediately, India will gradually diversify its oil suppliers, putting further pressure on Russia to end their war in Ukraine.

The move is a dramatic shift of alliances for India, which has historically remained neutral between the powers of China and Russia and the Western world. Now, India has taken its first step in the direction of the West, strengthening their alliance with the US while weakening ties with Russia.

Crucially, Trump is likely to remove a large portion of his tariffs on India, bringing relief to the Indian market after a tough period where Indian exports to the US have dropped significantly. Other countries have managed to score deals to bring down their reciprocal tariff rates, but India has not been able to do so. Because of this, they had faced this 50% tariff since late August and had no means of working around it, with trade negotiations at a stalemate.

Nevertheless, this new development should strengthen their ties with the US and bring them some relief from Trump's tariffs while putting pressure on Russia– exactly the move that the United States needed. Trump quickly expressed his approval of the move, and confirmed that he will now focus his efforts on doing the same with China– a much harder goal to achieve.

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