India casts doubt on Donald Trump's claim Narendra Modi will stop buying Russian oil

The Indian government says it is "not aware" of a call in which the US president claimed India's leader made the commitment.

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On Wednesday, Trump said his Indian counterpart had "assured me today" that it would end Russian oil imports, a move the US has pushed for in a bid to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine.

But asked about the call on Thursday, an Indian government spokesman cast doubt on Trump's account, saying he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day.

The Indian government had earlier said discussions were still "ongoing" with the US over its Russian oil purchases.

India has become a key energy customer for Russia since the outbreak of the war, partly allowing the Kremlin to withstand the impact of Ukrainian allies slashing oil and gas imports, the country's biggest export market.