No mention of Russian oil in India-US trade framework, White House issues ‘unilateral statement’

Will India stop buying Russian oil, as US President Donald Trump had claimed while announcing the India-US trade deal last week? While the official joint statement on "interim framework" released by New Delhi and Washington early Saturday makes no mention of Russia, a separate executive order issued by the White House does so.

There has been no official statement by the Indian side on the matter.

The executive order titled “Modifying duties to address threats to the United States by the government of the russian federation”, released by the White House unilaterally, specifically mentioned that the US has lifted 25 tariff which it had imposed on Indian goods as a penalty for buying Russian oil amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

This slashed the additional punitive tariff of 25 percent to zero, apart from reducing the reciprocal tariff rate from 25 percent to 18 percent .

Will India stop buying Russian oil?

The US executive order explicitly claimed that “India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.” But India has not confirmed yet.

The joint statement released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the WHite House, detailing the interim framework, only mentioned the reduction in the US' reciprocal tariff rate from 25 percent to 18 percent .

The White House's executive order read: “In Executive Order 14329 of August 6, 2025 (Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation), I found that the national emergency described in Executive Order 14066 has continued and that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

“To deal with that threat, I determined that it was necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent on imports of articles of India, which, at that time, was directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” the order stated.

It added, “Specifically, India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years.”

The executive order further stated that the elimination of the additional 25percent tariff will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Washington time on February 7.

“Effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from the warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on February 7, 2026, products of India imported into the United States shall no longer be subject to the additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent imposed pursuant to Executive Order 14329,” it said.

What does India-US interim framework say?

The joint statement by India and the US said India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

It also mentioned that the United States “will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 percent…as amended, on originating goods of India, including textile and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home décor, artisanal products, and certain machinery…”

The US also agreed to remove the reciprocal tariff on a wide range of goods identified in the Potential Tariff Adjustments for Aligned Partners Annex to Executive Order 14346 of September 5, 2025 (Modifying the Scope of Reciprocal Tariffs and Establishing Procedures for Implementing Trade and Security Agreements), as amended — including generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts.

The United States will also remove tariffs on certain aircraft and aircraft parts of India — initially “imposed to eliminate threats to national security.” "Similarly, consistent with US national security requirements, India will receive a preferential tariff rate quota for automotive parts...," it added.

The joint statement also claimed India will receive negotiated outcomes with respect to generic pharmaceuticals and ingredients.

Read full text of joint statement by New Delhi, Washington

What did Trump say earlier?

US President Donald has said in a TRUTH post on February 2 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela.”

“This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!,” Trump had said while sharing details of his conversation with PM Modi over a phone call.

While PM Modi only confirmed the 18 percent tariff reduction detail while thanking Trump in a post on X, he did not issue any statement on the US President's "India not buying Russian oil" claim.

What expert says on India-US framework?

On the US-India interim framework and the White House's executive order on Russian oil tariffs, former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce Raymond Vickery said there's some progress in terms of India and the US over the Russian oil situation.

“But it's perfectly apparent because it's left out of the joint statement entirely. In regard to the executive order, it's a unilateral statement. It doesn't reflect what India's position is at all on Russian oil,” Vickery told ANI.