'He assured me': Trump says PM Modi told him he won't purchase Russian oil; wants same from China

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him that India will stop buying Russian oil , months after Trump imposed punitive tariffs over the purchases.

"He's assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia," Trump said. "You know, you can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon," he added.

Responding to ANI 's question whether he views India as a reliable partner, Trump said: "Yeah, sure. He's (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing."

"He's a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know," the Republican chief added.

Trump made the remarks during a joint news conference with FBI director Kash Patel at the Oval Office.

Trump also criticised India's previous oil imports from Russia and said: "We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia, because that lets Russia continue on with this ridiculous war, where they've lost a million and a half people, by the way. Russia has lost a million and a half people, soldiers mostly."