President Donald Trump announced Monday that India will stop purchasing Russian oil and instead buy energy from the United States and “potentially” Venezuela, following what he described as a wide-ranging phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trump said the agreement was reached after discussions that covered trade, global security, and efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Writing on Truth Social, the president said Modi agreed to halt India’s purchases of Russian oil and shift toward American energy supplies, a move Trump argued would help undermine Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort.
“We spoke about many things, including Trade, and ending the War with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote. “He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela.”
Trump added that the shift away from Russian oil would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which he said continues to claim thousands of lives every week. He framed the deal as a major geopolitical and economic victory for the United States.
The president also tied the announcement to developments in Venezuela, saying that after the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the United States would take over Venezuela’s oil industry and rebuild its oil fields. Trump said American companies would invest billions of dollars into Venezuela as part of that takeover, positioning the country as a future energy supplier.
In addition to the oil commitments, Trump said the deal includes significant changes to trade policy between the United States and India. According to the president, tariffs on Indian goods entering the U.S. will be reduced from 25% to 18%, effective immediately.
“Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India,” Trump wrote, explaining that the reduced reciprocal tariff would strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
Trump said India, in turn, committed to slashing its own tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American goods to zero. He added that Modi pledged to significantly increase purchases of U.S. products, including more than $500 billion worth of energy, technology, and agricultural goods.
“Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward,” Trump wrote. “Prime Minister Modi and I are two people that GET THINGS DONE.”
The announcement follows months of pressure from Trump on India to stop buying Russian oil. Since last fall, the president has accused India of indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing large volumes of discounted Russian crude and reselling much of it on the open market for profit.
“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,” Trump said in August. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”
After the war in Ukraine began in 2022, India became the largest importer of Russian seaborne crude oil, according to reporting by Reuters. In 2025, roughly 35% of the oil imported into India came from Russia, underscoring the significance of Trump’s claim that New Delhi will now reverse course.
Trump had previously said in October that India agreed in principle to stop buying Russian oil, though no formal deal was reached at that time. Monday’s announcement marks what Trump described as the finalization of that commitment, pairing energy policy with sweeping trade concessions he says will benefit American workers and industries.
