India on Thursday rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him New Delhi would stop buying oil from Russia, saying there was no such phone call and that India’s energy policy was driven solely by national interests.

“I am not aware of any phone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump yesterday,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, dismissing Trump’s remark.

The clarification came hours after Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, told reporters: “He is (Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. I was not happy that India was buying oil from Russia and he assured me today they will not be buying oil. That’s a big stop.”

The claim triggered diplomatic and political ripples in

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