President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him earlier Wednesday that he would halt Russian oil imports.

“He’s a friend of mine, we have a great relationship … we have a great relationship – no, we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they’ve lost a million and a half people,” Trump said from the Oval Office as he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

“I was not happy that India was buying oil, and (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” Trump added.

CNN has reached out to the Indian Embassy for comment.

Trump has for months been calling on India to cease purchasing Russian oil, citing India’s continued purchases of cheap Russian oil in escalating his trade war. In August, Trump announced a 25% tariff on India as a penalty for importing Russian oil and gas, building on a previously announced 25% tariff rate.

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