Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that India has "de-escalated" its purchases of Russian oil, as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

“India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore. And they have already de-escalated, and they have more or less stopped; they are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they won't be doing it anymore,” Trump said.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Trump had asserted that he had been “assured” that India would not be buying oil from Russia, while acknowledging that the shift could not happen “immediately.”

“He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia… You can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon, and all we want from President Putin is... stop this,” Trump stated.

He further added that if India stops purchasing Russian oil, it would make it “much easier” to end the ongoing conflict.

“Within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia, and they'll go back to Russia after the war's over,” he emphasised.

Trump also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great man,” and described India as “an incredible country.”

On Thursday, however, India rejected Trump’s claim of having had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Modi.

Trump had claimed on Wednesday that during a phone call, PM Modi had “assured” him that India would not be buying oil from Russia.

When asked about this, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified during a weekly media briefing: “Regarding the comment from the US on energy issue, we have already issued a statement, which you can refer to. As for the telephonic conversation, I can say that there has been no discussion between the Prime Minister and President Trump.”

While India has been a significant buyer of Russian oil in recent years, China remains Moscow’s largest energy customer.

In August, the Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil but took no similar action against China.

Trump’s comments come as India’s trade negotiating team is in Washington for the next round of bilateral trade talks with US officials.

Earlier this week, the Commerce Ministry said India could import an additional $12–13 billion worth of crude oil and natural gas from the US without changing the configuration of its refineries. The ministry added that India is eager to diversify its energy import sources, depending on availability at the “right price.”

The latest round of trade discussions follows meetings in New Delhi between newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.