India, Oct. 17 -- India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday firmly refuted claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump, stating there was no phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump regarding India's energy imports from Russia.

Responding to a question during the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified, "On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders."

This denial comes after Trump, during a public appearance on Wednesday, claimed that Prime Minister Modi had personally assured him that India would halt oil purchases from Russia - a s...