Is Donald Trump bullying India with Pakistan oil deal? Will New Delhi surrender, stop buying Russian oil?

Is US President Donald Trump bullying India to force it to stop buying crude oil from Russia and buy it from the US instead? Will the new US tariff and increasing bonhomie with India's main adversary change the political dynamics of South Asia and the world? By announcing an oil deal with Pakistan with no proven oil reserve or capacity to refine or store it, Donald Trump has upset New Delhi. Trump has announced to strike a deal with Pakistan immediately after announcing a 25% tariff on India and threatening to impose a penalty for doing business with Moscow. 

US-Pakistan Oil Deal

The US president shocked New Delhi Thursday by saying that the US had struck a trade deal with Pakistan, including plans to develop its "massive" oil reserves. He further angered India by taunting that "maybe they (Pakistan) will sell oil to India." To add insult to the injury, he said, "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care."

Donald Trump's announcement is full of contradictions, as Pakistan has neither proven oil reserves nor the refining capacity, while India has a proven crude reserve of about 4.8 billion barrels. One barrel equals 159 litres. While India produced over 600,000 barrels per day in February 2025, Pakistan produced only 68,000. Similarly, India imported nearly five million BPD in 2024, while Pakistan imported about 140,000 BPD.

Donald Trump bullies India

So what does it mean? Analysts believe that Trump's announcement has no business sense; he wants to make his anger felt and bully India for buying Russian oil. He wants to say, 'toe the line or risk your enemy being strengthened, upsetting a key ally for negotiating a trade deal'. His jibe on Islamabad selling oil to India is hollow and makes no sense for many reasons. Trump's jibe about Pak selling oil to India doesn't ring true. 

Trump upset over India-Russia oil purchase

First, Islamabad has no proven reserve of crude large enough to interest India. Secondly, even if it happens somehow, the volatile political and military India-Pak relation rules out any purchases. The country does not play cricket; Pakistan will buy oil from it? Third, if a miracle happens and India buys oil from Pakistan, it will only be at the cost of the import from the US. Is Trump okay with this idea? Rubbish!