President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that India will "sharply reduce" its imports of Russian oil by the end of this year, citing what he described as a personal assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President Trump said India currently sources nearly 40 percent

of its crude oil from Russia but plans to phase it out in the coming months.

"India, as you know, told me that they would stop. It is a process; you can't just stop it. But by the end of the year, they will be down to almost nothing. That's a big thing," the President said.

The President added that the reduction would be gradual to maintain global market stability. "India has been great. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi yesterday, and they have been absolutely great," he told reporters.

Trump's remarks come days after he claimed that Prime Minister Modi had assured him New Delhi would halt its purchases of Russian oil. He also linked potential US tariffs to India's energy policy, warning that high import duties on Indian goods would remain in place until the country ceased buying oil from Moscow.

"If they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that," Trump said during an earlier interaction aboard Air Force One.

Trump's statement shows continued pressure on New Delhi to align more closely with US sanctions against Moscow.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied that any such assurance was made, emphasising that India's energy policy is driven by national interest, prioritising stable prices and secure supplies.

India has repeatedly stressed that its energy policy was focused on ensuring stable domestic prices amid a growing population.

The US has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on certain Indian imports, of which 25 per cent was due to New Delhi's Russian crude imports.

The US leader said he plans to discuss Beijing's Russian energy and oil trade with Jinping, aiming to pressure Moscow into negotiating a peace agreement.

Trump also criticized his predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, blaming their policies for driving China and Russia closer together.

"China is a little bit different. They have a little bit different relationship with Russia. It was never good, but because of Biden and Obama, they got forced together. They should never have been forced together. They (China-Russia) can't be friendly. I hope they are friendly, but they can't be," he said.

The US leader said he plans to discuss Beijing's Russian energy and oil trade with Jinping, with an aim to pressure Moscow into negotiating a peace agreement

"What I'll really be talking to him about is how we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it's through oil or energy or anything else. I think he's going to be very receptive," he added.