Washington, Oct 16: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that India has assured him it will scale back its imports of Russian seaborne crude oil—a move that follows months after Washington imposed a 25% punitive tariff on New Delhi over its continued energy trade with Moscow.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "great man" and praised India as "an incredible country." He also said he’s willing to meet Modi during the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.

Trump said, "Yeah, sure, he's a friend of mine. We have a great relationship."

"He's a great man. He loves Trump…I have watched India for years. It's an incredible country, and every single year you'd have a new leader. I mean, some would be in there for a few months, and this was year after year after year. And my friend has been there now for a long time," he added.

Trump also claimed that he has been "assured" that India won't be buying oil from Russia, while adding that he understands that it can't be done "immediately". However, India has not yet responded to this claim.

"He assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia…You can't do it immediately. It's a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon, and all we want from President Putin…is to stop this," he noted.

He added that if India doesn't buy Russian oil, it makes it "much easier" to end the conflict.

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"Within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia, and they'll go back to Russia after the war's over," he emphasised.

Trump told reporters that he would also pressure China "to do the same thing."

While India has started buying Russian oil in the last few years, China is Moscow's biggest energy buyer.

India has been one of the top importers of Russian crude oil, especially since the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow. A commitment to reduce or halt these imports could have significant geopolitical and economic implications, particularly for Russia’s energy revenues.

The Indian government has not yet issued an official statement confirming Trump’s remarks.