New Delhi: Russia on Tuesday defended India’s right to engage in oil trade with Moscow, a day after former US President Donald Trump threatened to “substantially” raise tariffs on India for importing Russian oil. Responding to the comments, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia believes countries have the right to independently pursue economic cooperation based on their national interests.
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“We believe that sovereign countries must have and do have the right to choose their trade partners, the partners in trade and economic cooperation, on their own and independently determine those modes of trade and economic cooperation that suit the interests of a country in question,” Peskov told journalists, when asked about the US threat concerning India.
Trump accused India on August 4 of buying “massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it for big profits” and warned he would increase US tariffs if re-elected.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement issued on August 4, rejected US and European criticism over its energy imports from Russia, saying such trade was compelled by the redirection of global supplies after the Ukraine conflict and aimed at ensuring energy affordability for Indian consumers.
“India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability,” the statement said.
“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”
The ministry pointed out that the European Union had a bilateral trade of €67.5 billion in goods with Russia in 2024, and an additional €17.2 billion in services trade in 2023 — far exceeding India’s total trade with Russia.
European LNG imports from Russia hit a record 16.5 million tonnes in 2024, surpassing the 2022 peak. EU-Russia trade included energy, fertilizers, chemicals, steel, and machinery. The US, it added, continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for nuclear power, palladium for EVs, fertilizers, and chemicals.
“In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the statement said.
In a separate statement on August 4, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also condemned US tariff threats toward its partners in the Global South, calling such actions a form of “politically motivated economic pressure.”
“Sanctions and restrictions have unfortunately become a defining feature of the current historical period, impacting countries across the globe. Unable to accept the erosion of its dominance in an emerging multipolar international order, Washington continues to pursue a neocolonial agenda, employing politically motivated economic pressure against those who choose an independent course on the international stage,” she said.
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“One of the key victims of this policy is our strategic partner in Latin America and the Caribbean – Brazil. Such actions by the United States represent a direct infringement on the sovereignty of other nations and an attempt to interfere in their internal affairs. Beyond these concerns, this policy risks slowing global economic growth, disrupting supply chains, and deepening the fragmentation of the international economic system.”
Zakharova said Russia remains committed to working with BRICS and other Global South partners to counter “unlawful unilateral sanctions” and build a more equitable international order.
“We firmly believe that no tariff wars or sanctions can halt the natural course of history. We are supported by a vast number of partners, like-minded states, and allies, particularly among the countries of the Global South and, above all, within BRICS, who share this perspective. We stand ready to deepen cooperation with them to resist unlawful unilateral sanctions and to help shape a genuinely multipolar, just, and equitable international order,” she said.