United States President Donald Trump has once again cautioned India that it will face steep tariffs if it continues buying crude oil from Russia.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier assured him New Delhi would soon end its imports of Russian oil — a statement India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not confirmed.

“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump said. He added that if India refuses to halt such purchases, it will “keep paying massive tariffs,” warning that New Delhi would not want to bear those costs.

India, however, has maintained that its energy policy focuses on ensuring stable prices and secure supplies to meet domestic demand. A foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, recently clarified that, to his knowledge, no phone conversation between Modi and Trump took place on the day the U.S. president claimed it did.

Washington has imposed a combined 50% tariff rate on India — a 25% “reciprocal” duty announced on August 7, followed by another 25% penalty later that month. Trump has repeatedly argued that India’s oil trade with Moscow indirectly helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In response, New Delhi has called the tariff hikes “extremely unfortunate,” stressing that many nations are taking similar actions based on their national interests.

Despite the tension, both countries have recently resumed trade talks. A team of Indian officials, led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, visited Washington last week for negotiations, while Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also led a delegation to New York last month to discuss broader trade issues with U.S. counterparts.

Analysts say that while the renewed discussions signal an effort to ease trade frictions, Trump’s latest warning could test diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations once again.