Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "frightened" of US President Donald Trump, claiming he allowed the American leader to "decide and announce" that India would stop buying Russian oil and "keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs."
Gandhi’s remarks came after Trump stated that his "friend" Modi assured him India would halt Russian oil purchases, describing it as a significant step to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine invasion.
"PM Modi is frightened of Trump. Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. Cancelled the Finance Minister's visit to America. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. Doesn't contradict him on Operation Sindoor," Gandhi wrote on X.
Adding to Rahul Gandhi's remark, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also lashed out at the government over the issue.
"At 5:37 PM Indian Standard Time on May 10, 2025, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the very first to announce that India has halted Operation Sindoor. Subsequently, President Trump has claimed 51 times in 5 different countries that he had intervened to stop Operation Sindoor by using tariffs and trade as his weapon of pressure. Yet our PM kept silent," Ramesh said on X.
"Now President Trump has declared yesterday that Mr. Modi has assured him that India will not import oil from Russia. Mr. Modi appears to have outsourced key decisions to America. The 56-inch chest has now shrunk.
Speaking to reporters at his Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the US was unhappy with India’s purchase of Russian crude, claiming such imports helped fund President Vladimir Putin's war.
"He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship... we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they've lost a million and a half people," Trump said in response to a question.
"I was not happy that India was buying oil, and (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big step. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing," he added.
According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India, traditionally reliant on Middle Eastern oil, is the world’s third-largest oil importer and significantly increased its purchases of Russian crude following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Western sanctions on Russia and reduced demand from Europe made Russian oil available at steep discounts, pushing India’s share of Russian crude in total imports from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent in a short span.
New Delhi has consistently maintained that its oil imports are guided by national energy security and affordability, and that India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains independent, balanced, and in line with its strategic interests.
