Russia backs India, slams US tariff threats over Russian oil purchases

Moscow: On Tuesday, Russia expressed support for India and criticised US President Donald Trump for his threats to raise tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil, affirming that sovereign nations have the right to select their trading partners.

During a press briefing, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the US threats towards India but rejected their legitimacy, stressing that countries must have the freedom to choose trade partners according to their own interests. Peskov was quoted by the state news agency TASS as saying that nations must have “the right to choose their own trading partners, partners in trade and economic cooperation, and to choose those trade and economic cooperation regimes that are in the interests of a particular country.”

The Kremlin’s statement followed President Trump’s declaration that he would significantly increase tariffs on India due to its large purchases of Russian oil. Trump criticised India for buying Russian oil and reselling much of it on the open market for profits, accusing India of disregarding deaths in Ukraine due to Russian military action.

In response to Trump’s tariff threats, the Indian government called the US targeting of India over Russian oil “unjust and unreasonable.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that, like any major economy, India would take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

The Indian government underlined that India has been singled out by the US and the European Union for importing Russian oil since the Ukraine conflict began. New Delhi pointed out that it began buying more oil from Russia as Western countries diverted their traditional energy supplies to Europe, at a time when the US itself had encouraged Indian imports to support global market stability.

India’s imports, it emphasised, are intended to provide affordable and predictable energy for its consumers and are driven by necessity due to current global conditions. The government also noted that Western nations criticising India continue their own trade with Russia, often without similar vital compulsion.

In 2024, the Indian government said that the European Union’s bilateral trade with Russia was €67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services in 2023, significantly more than India’s own trade volume with Russia during that period. Europe’s imports of LNG from Russia reached a record 16.5 million tonnes, and trade includes energy, fertilisers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel, and machinery.

Additionally, the US continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear sector, palladium for electric vehicles, fertilisers, and chemicals.

Given these facts, India described the US targeting as unjustified and unreasonable and reiterated its commitment to defending its economic security and national interests.

With inputs from IANS