Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri appeared to confirm President Donald Trump’s claim that New Delhi would be expanding Venezuelan oil purchases in comments on Monday, stating that India was already buying Venezuelan oil and has refineries specially outfitted to handle crude from that country.

President Trump announced on Monday that, following a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two countries had agreed on a trade deal that would dramatically lower tariffs on Indian goods imported into America and remove trade barriers to American products being sold in India.

Trump also stated that Modi, whose country dramatically increased purchases of Russian oil following a price drop related to sanctions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, had also agreed to stop buying Russian oil at high rates. To address Indian oil demand, Trump said the Indian government would turn to purchasing Venezuelan oil – a more favorable option for America following the arrest of deposed dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Trump had previously suggested on Sunday that India was open to buying more Venezuelan oil to replace oil from Iran, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. India has one of the world’s highest demands for petroleum products and a robust landscape of refineries, but very little crude produced domestically, requiring significant import capacity. Chinese state propaganda outlets accused Trump of fabricating that claim, citing the lack of comments from Indian government officials prior to Singh Puri weighing in on Monday.

The Indian government is one of the most powerful countries in the anti-American coalition BRICS, which also includes Russia and Iran. BRICS – which also features China, South Africa, Egypt, and a host of low-level associate rogue states such as Cuba and Belarus – requires its members to help each other economically. Venezuela actively campaigned to join BRICS but was reportedly blocked by founding member Brazil over personal animosity between Maduro and socialist Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Singh Puri, the oil minister, did not reportedly suggest that any loyalties to BRICS would interfere with trade deals with America or Venezuela. Speaking to the Indian business network CNBC TV 18, Singh Puri indicated that India was prepared to expand purchases of Venezuelan oil because its petroleum refining infrastructure had specialized to handle Venezuela’s notoriously heavy crude.

“Speaking to CNBC-TV18’s Abhimanyu Sharma, the Minister highlighted India’s readiness to resume larger volumes,” the outlet shared, “noting that two to three Indian refineries are specifically configured to process heavy Venezuelan crude, with both PSU OMCs as well as private sector players having a history of purchasing oil from Venezuela.”

Singh Puri reportedly highlighted that “India has been buying oil from Venezuela since a long time” and that the country already had oil officials in Venezuela to discuss purchases.

Multiple Indian news outlets also referenced Singh Puri making similar comments in favor of buying more Venezuelan crude during an event for India Energy Week 2026.

 

“Speaking after the India Energy Week 2026, Puri emphasized the enduring relationship with Venezuelan oil and noted that various international delegations, including those from Venezuela, participated in the event,” one outlet observed.

Modi revealed on Sunday that he had called the acting executive of Venezuela, Maduro’s second-in-command Delcy Rodríguez, to discuss cooperation.

“We agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas,” Modi claimed.

Singh Puri had been a vocal supporter of addressing Indian crude demand by signing agreements with Venezuela for years, even when the United States was actively discouraging other countries from buying Venezuelan oil and enriching Maduro.

“Crude oil imports from Venezuela to India can have a sobering effect in the market,” Singh Puri suggested in 2023, at a tie that Indian imports of Russian oil skyrocketed. “Venezuela has the largest reserves. If Venezuela comes on the market, it should have a sobering effect on all the others (market players).”

Following Maduro’s arrest by American forces on charges of narco-terrorism, President Trump announced that American companies would begin operations in Venezuela, to the benefit of Americans.

“We’re going to start drilling very soon. We have the biggest companies in the world. We have them, and they’re going to be going in, they’re all negotiating right now,” President Trump said in late January. “And we’re representing the nation, and the nation is very thrilled by that because we’re really good at this.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued licenses this weekend to allow American oil companies to legally operate in Venezuela, not entirely lifting sanctions on state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) but expanding American ability to make money in that industry.
Trump announced that Modi had agreed to increase Venezuelan oil purchases on Monday, referring to the prime minister as “one of my greatest friends.”

“He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela,” Trump wrote on his website, Truth Social. “This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!”

Trump also announced the U.S. government would lower tariffs on Indian goods from 25 percent to 18 percent, with the potential of dropping them down to zero as cooperation expands.

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