Russia Slams Trump’s Tariffs, Backs India’s Russian Oil Purchases

Russia has strongly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on India over its procurement of Russian crude oil, dismissing the move as "unjustified and unilateral." Moscow reaffirmed that it will continue its energy partnership with New Delhi despite external pressure.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said Washington had "weaponised the economy" by using sanctions as a tool. He emphasized, however, that Russia would never follow such a path with India. "Friends do not impose sanctions, and Russia will never impose sanctions on India. You will never see sanctions imposed by Russia or within BRICS, where we participate together. Non-UN sanctions and secondary sanctions are illegal. They only weaponise the economy," he stated.

Babushkin added that sanctions have failed to weaken Russia. "Despite tremendous sanction pressure, the Russian economy is growing steadily. It proves that you cannot exclude such a major power, with its vast energy, industrial and human potential, from the global economy. Ultimately, sanctions damage those who impose them," he remarked.

Trump recently announced that the United States will impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports starting August 27, citing India's expanded imports of Russian crude after Western nations restricted Russian energy following the Ukraine invasion. Notably, the U.S. has not imposed similar tariffs on China despite its continued purchases of Russian oil.

Babushkin underlined that Russia has developed a "special mechanism" to guarantee uninterrupted crude supplies to India. Currently, Moscow provides about 40 per cent of India's oil needs, sold at an average discount of 5 per cent.

Looking ahead, the diplomat said India and Russia remain committed to reaching their $100 billion bilateral trade target by 2030. He highlighted Moscow's efforts to narrow the trade imbalance by encouraging more Indian exports of machinery, pharmaceuticals, tea, and rice. Russia, he stressed, remains one of India's primary suppliers of energy and fertilisers.

On Western sanctions, Babushkin argued that the European Union's latest measures will have minimal effect on Russia and predicted that India will continue buying Russian crude. "We are committed to working with India to address challenges and remove them," he said, adding that both nations are in advanced talks regarding small and modular nuclear reactors.

He also pointed to strong defence cooperation, recalling that India and Russia co-developed the BrahMos cruise missile and are collaborating on advanced technologies such as jet engines.

According to Babushkin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken twice on the Ukraine conflict. "India matters very much to us," he stressed.

On wider geopolitical ties, Babushkin welcomed the "very successful" visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India and said Moscow values the Russia-India-China dialogue mechanism. "We hope it will be resumed sooner rather than later," he noted.

He further confirmed that Modi and Putin are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. However, the dates for Putin's visit to India have not yet been finalised.