India, Feb. 9 -- A narrative rift appears to have opened up on multiple fronts in New Delhi and Washington in the one week since President Donald Trump announced a trade deal and rollback of tariffs, which was later confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India's commerce minister Piyush Goyal has since skirted questions centred on Russian oil: Will India stop buying it, as Trump claimed, or continue nonetheless?

While the Trump administration asserts a total cessation of Russian oil imports was a prerequisite for the deal, New Delhi's lead negotiator, Piyush Goyal, has so far remained diplomatic about it, only saying India can "diversify" its energy-sourcing destinations.

Goyal also claims there is a fundamental misunderstanding abo...