Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIndia refutes NATO chief's claims about Modi-Putin talks over US tariffs on Russian oil imports, calling them baseless.
By Shivam Patel
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India rejected as "incorrect and baseless" remarks by NATO's chief that suggested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin over the impact of punitive U.S. tariffs on its purchases of Russian oil.
India's foreign ministry called the remarks speculative and said on Friday there was no such conversation.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in an interview with CNN, had spoken about U.S. President Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on Indian imports to 50% due to India's purchases of Russian oil.
"This immediately impacts Russia because Delhi is now on the phone with Putin in Moscow, and Narendra Modi asks him, 'Hey, I support you, but could you explain to me the strategy because I have now been hit by 50% tariffs by the United States'," Rutte said in the interview published on Thursday.
"The statement is factually incorrect and entirely baseless," Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular briefing. "At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested. No such conversation has taken place."
In response to a request from Reuters, a NATO spokesperson said: "We have nothing further to add to what the NATO Secretary General said."
India has taken advantage of discounts on Russian output to become the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking to broker an end to the Ukraine conflict, has said India's oil imports were helping fund Moscow's war effort.
New Delhi has said its purchases of Russian oil have kept the markets in balance and has accused the West of double standards because the European Union and the U.S. still buy Russian goods worth billions of dollars.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Alex Richardson)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding India's oil purchases.
India's foreign ministry called the remarks 'incorrect and baseless,' stating that there was no conversation between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that India's oil imports from Russia were helping to fund Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
India has accused the West of double standards because while it has reduced its purchases of Russian goods, the European Union and the U.S. continue to buy Russian products.
India has taken advantage of discounts on Russian oil, becoming the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude since the invasion of Ukraine, claiming it helps keep markets balanced.
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