• India buys Russian oil on discounted price.
• US tariff reduces India’s Russian oil buying by 38%.
• Modi doesn’t say US ask for halting oil purchases.
  

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it had not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump.

Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine.

India’s purchases of Russian oil — discounted due to Western sanctions complicating logistics and cutting off markets — have surged since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine and its Western allies have been seeking to cut off the billions of dollars in revenue, a vital source of income for Russia’s stretched economy and its military.

“So far, we haven’t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.

Trump said he was cutting levies on Indian goods to 18%. He had previously imposed 25% “reciprocal” tariffs on many products, plus an additional 25% for New Delhi’s purchases of Moscow’s oil.

While Modi thanked Trump for the “wonderful” phone call and the easing of tariffs, he made no reference to Trump’s assertion about halting oil purchases.

In 2024, Russia supplied nearly 36% of India’s total crude imports, around 1.8 million barrels of discounted oil per day.

But after Trump hit New Delhi with tariffs, India’s monthly oil imports from Russia plunged by 38%, local media reported, citing India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s data.

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised “uninterrupted shipments” of oil during a visit to New Delhi in late 2025.

Bilateral trade between the two sides reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 — almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels — dominated by Moscow’s energy sales, with Indian exports to Russia accounting for under $5 billion.

A previously recorded interview of disgraced financier and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has surfaced in which he is heard claiming that he had donated funds for anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan and India.

In the interview, Epstein, who was implicated in the sexual abuse of minors and human trafficking, said he had given money for efforts aimed at eradicating the crippling disease in the two countries. The interview was conducted by an unidentified individual at an undisclosed location and time.

During the conversation, Epstein is heard acknowledging he is a “Tier 1 predator”.

The interviewer asked him whether he was “the devil”, to which Epstein responded that he did not have an answer but questioned why such a question was being asked. The interviewer replied that Epstein possessed all the flaws associated with a devil. 

Epstein responded that he did not think of himself as the devil and said that he was afraid of the devil.

British media have speculated that the interview may have been conducted by Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist during Donald Trump’s first term as US president.

Epstein was also asked whether his wealth was “dirty money”. He denied this, prompting the interviewer to say that Epstein had earned money by advising some of the world’s “worst people” who had committed serious wrongdoing. In response, Epstein said that morality had always been a complex subject.

Repeating his claim, Epstein said he had donated money for polio eradication efforts in Pakistan and India. He argued that instead of questioning whether the money should have been given for children’s vaccinations, people should ask the mothers whose children received the vaccines and would not suffer from polio whether Epstein should have made such donations.

At one point, the interviewer remarked that Epstein was a mathematician and posed a hypothetical question, asking what proportion of poor and sick people would object if they were told at a clinic that the money being given to them came from a criminal. Epstein replied that everyone would say they needed the money for their children.

Despite Epstein’s claims, it remains unclear whether he ever donated funds for anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan. It is also not known during which government such a donation may have been made, to whom the funds were sent, or through which channel.

• Congress calls for transparency on trade pact details.
• Opposition fears zero tariffs will hit Indian sectors.
• Criticism mounts over agriculture and Russian oil clauses.

NEW DELHI: The Indian National Congress has come down hard on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a trade deal with India, urging New Delhi to disclose full details of the agreement to parliament and the nation.

“Just like the ceasefire, the announcement of the trade deal was also made by US President Trump. It has been stated that the trade deal is being done ‘on Modi’s request’,” the Congress said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

The remarks came a day after Trump announced a “trade deal” with India that slashes US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 25% in exchange for New Delhi lowering trade barriers, stopping its purchases of Russian oil and buying oil instead from the US and potentially Venezuela.

“India appears ready to completely open its market to America,” the Congress said on the deal — announced by Trump and said to be done at Modi’s request, warning that such terms “will impact Indian industry, traders and farmers”.

The party raised concerns over language in Trump’s announcement, pointing to the potential opening of India’s agriculture sector to American goods, and asked what safeguards had been put in place to protect Indian farmers’ interests.

“There is talk of opening the agriculture sector for America in the statement as well. What exactly is the deal? How have the security and interests of our farmers been ensured?” the statement said.

The party also challenged claims that the agreement would require India to stop buying Russian oil. “It has also been said that the Modi government will not buy oil from Russia, but will buy from America and Venezuela instead. Has the Modi government agreed to this condition?” the party asked.

It also further questioned the commitment to import more American goods, while seemingly undermining the “Make in India” initiative, and demanded a clear explanation of how this aligns with domestic industrial policy.

“India has the right to know the details of this trade deal,” the Congress statement said. “The Modi government must take Parliament and the entire country into confidence and share all the details.”

Separately, the Kerala chapter of Congress also slammed the move, saying: “Simply put, we will be an American colony.”

It pointed out that the US would still have a tariff of 18% on Indian goods, while India would charge 0% tariffs on American goods. “Resign and get lost,” the pasty told Modi.

Earlier, US President Trump said the United States and India had agreed on a trade deal after a phone call between him and Prime Minister Modi.

After the deal’s announcement, Modi took to X and lauded the reduction of tariffs on India.

“Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%,” Modi said. “Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement.”

The deal comes after months of tense trade negotiations between the world’s two largest democracies.

Last August, Trump doubled duties on imports from India to 50% to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil, and earlier this month said the rate could rise again if it did not curb its purchases.