Trump told reporters he had received assurances from Modi that India would halt its purchases "within a short period of time", which he called "a big stop".

The US president has sought to leverage India's purchases of Russian oil in his trade war, but Delhi has so far resisted. Reacting to the Trump remarks, an Indian government spokesman said discussions were "ongoing" with the US administration which had "shown interest in deepening energy co-operation with India". "Our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," the spokesman said. Oil and gas are Russia's biggest exports, and Moscow's biggest customers include China, India and Turkey. "Now I've got to get China to do the same thing," Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as part of his administration's broader push to cut off Moscow's energy funding. In response, a Chinese government spokesman, said it had "normal, legitimate economic, trade, and energy co-operation with countries around the world, including Russia". The Kremlin said Russia could provide good quality oil at a lower price. An official said that, if countries were prevented from buying Russian crude, "then the principles of free trade are being violated". (BBC)