India, Oct. 16 -- US President Donald Trump's list of varied statements naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw a new entry when he said on Thursday, October 16, that he did not want to "destroy [Modi's] political career" and claimed that India's leader had promised to stop buying Russian oil.

The Modi government has denied that Trump and the PM had any such phone conversation. India's external affairs ministry issued a statement also asserting sovereign decision-making. "It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

The claims coming from Trump - such as the political ...