NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday clarified that there was no telephone conversation between them Prime Minister Narendra Modi And US President Donald Trump yesterday.“On the question of whether there was a conversation or a phone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation between the two leaders yesterday,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during his weekly briefing.This statement came in the wake of Trump’s recent comments on India’s oil imports from Russia. Earlier, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil, calling it “a big step” in increasing global pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.When asked by ANI whether he considers India a reliable partner, Trump replied: “Yes, sure. He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is a friend of mine.” We have a great relationship. I was not happy about India buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not buy oil from Russia. This is a big stop. Now we need to get China to do the same.”Responding to these comments, the MEA stressed in an earlier statement that India’s energy policy is strictly guided by national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers amid volatile markets. The ministry reiterated that India is a major oil and gas importer and ensuring stable prices and secure supplies through diversified sourcing has been a long-standing priority.
