Russia slams Trump over tariff threats to India for buying Russian oil
PTC Web Desk: The Kremlin has strongly criticised US President Donald Trump for what it described as unlawful attempts to pressure nations, including India, into severing trade ties with Russia over energy deals. The rebuke comes after Donald Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Russia views Trump’s remarks as coercive and lacking legal basis. “We hear many statements that are, in essence, threats—efforts to pressure countries to halt their trade relations with Russia. We do not see such actions as legitimate,” Peskov said.
He said sovereign nations had the right to determine their own economic strategies and partnerships. “It is a country’s sovereign right to select its trade and economic partners and to decide how it engages in mutually beneficial cooperation,” Peskov added.
Trump had recently intensified his rhetoric against India, accusing it of profiting from reselling Russian oil on international markets while ignoring the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, the US President claimed that India was re-exporting Russian oil for large profits and warned that he would “substantially raise tariffs” on Indian products entering the US market.
“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” Trump wrote.
Trump also vowed to reintroduce sanctions on Russia and countries doing business with Moscow unless President Vladimir Putin agrees to end the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
India, in a swift and firm response, denounced the criticism from both the US and the European Union over its energy ties with Russia. The Indian government described the Western objections as “unreasonable and unfair,” especially given that several Western nations continue their own substantial trade with Moscow, including in the energy sector.
New Delhi maintains that its energy strategy is based on national interest and price affordability, not political alignment. Officials argue that energy purchases from Russia are essential for domestic needs and economic stability.
- With inputs from agencies
