“India Stopped Buying Oil From Russia”: Donald Trump Claims Tariffs Helped Prevent India-Pak Conflict; Watch

• Donald Trump said his relationship with India and PM Modi remains "fantastic" amid trade talks.
• Claimed India reduced Russian oil purchases and tariffs helped prevent India-Pakistan conflict.
• India-US trade deal to remain unchanged despite US Supreme Court ruling on tariffs.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that ties between Washington and New Delhi remain strong, stressing that trade and strategic cooperation with India are moving forward without disruption. Speaking during a press interaction, Trump said his administration continues to work closely with India while defending his tariff-led economic approach.

'My relationship with India is fantastic'

Trump described India as a key partner and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking about ongoing trade and geopolitical coordination. He said India had reduced its dependence on Russian oil following his request and highlighted the broader goal of ending global conflicts.

"My relationship with India is fantastic, and we are doing trade with India. India pulled out of Russia. India was getting its oil from Russia, and they pulled way back on my request because we want to settle a horrible war where 25,000 people are dying every month," Trump said.

He added, "My relationship with PM Modi is great."

Claims tariffs helped prevent India- Pakistan War

The US President also claimed that tariff pressure played a role in preventing escalation between India and Pakistan. He said warnings of steep trade penalties and restricted business access encouraged both sides to step back.

"I also stopped the war between India and Pakistan... Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that President Trump saved 35 million lives by getting them to stop," Trump said.

"I did it largely with tariffs. I said, 'You want to fight, that is fine, but you are not going to do business with the United States, and you are going to pay a 200% tariff, each country.' They called up, and they said, we have made peace," he added.

Trump said tariff threats were used as leverage to push for de-escalation and negotiations.

Trade deal to remain unchanged

Trump maintained that the ongoing India-US trade agreement will remain intact despite the US Supreme Court striking down his earlier reciprocal tariffs. He said the arrangement ensures a revised tariff structure that he considers fair for the United States.

"Nothing changes, they'll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs," Trump said when asked about the impact of the ruling.

He added, "So, the deal with India is they pay tariffs. This is a reversal for what it used to be... So we made a deal with India, it's a fair deal now, and we are not paying tariffs to them and they are paying tariffs. We did a little flip."

Supreme Court ruling and tariff push

The US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, said the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs. The decision struck down Trump's earlier global tariff measures introduced under emergency powers.

Trump criticised the verdict and said alternative methods would be used to continue tariff collection.

"Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected. We have alternatives... We have taken in hundreds of billions of dollars. We will continue to do so," he said.

"To show you how ridiculous the opinion is, the court said that I am not allowed to charge even 1 dollar... I cannot charge 1 dollar to any country under IEEPA," Trump added.

Interim trade pact expected soon

Meanwhile, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said an interim trade agreement between India and the United States is likely to be signed in March and implemented by April. Negotiators from both sides are set to meet in Washington to finalise the first phase of the bilateral pact.

The proposed framework includes reduction in certain tariffs on Indian goods and removal of punitive duties imposed earlier, offering relief to exporters and strengthening bilateral trade momentum.