Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck a defiant tone in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, urging the nation to buy local goods as his administration signaled it would continue buying Russian oil.

A top aide to President Donald Trump on Sunday accused India of effectively financing Russia's war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow, after the U.S. leader escalated pressure on New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil.

Indian officials denied President Donald Trump‘s claim that they had stopped buying Russian oil, despite pressure from Washington. Trump’s sudden move to pressure Moscow to come to the peace table with Ukraine relies on pressuring third countries into stopping their purchase of Russian oil.