‘Unjustified, unreasonable’: India slams Trump’s contemporary tariff risk, says US ‘actively inspired’ import of Russian oil

The Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) defended the India’s selection to purchase oil from Russia on Monday, amid criticism from the US and the European Union.

In keeping with the MEA, India’s imports from Russia are pushed by want and are meant to maintain vitality prices predictable and inexpensive for Indian prospects.

The MEA branded criticism of India’s commerce insurance policies as “unjustified and unreasonable,” and said that India will take all crucial steps to guard its nationwide pursuits and financial safety.

In an announcement, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) defined that India’s crude imports from Russia had been brought on by interruptions in common provide strains following the outbreak of the disaster in Ukraine.

The MEA emphasised that New Delhi’s vitality imports are a sovereign resolution pushed by nationwide curiosity and market realities.

In keeping with the MEA assertion, “The focusing on of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like several main financial system, India will take all crucial measures to safeguard its nationwide pursuits and financial safety.”

“India has been focused by the US and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the graduation of the Ukraine battle. The truth is, India started importing from Russia as a result of conventional provides had been diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the battle. The USA at the moment actively inspired such imports by India for strengthening international vitality market stability,” it added.

India grew to become a serious purchaser of Russian oil, offering a much-needed export marketplace for Moscow after it was lower off from conventional consumers in Europe due to the Ukraine struggle.

New Delhi saved itself billions of {dollars} whereas bolstering Moscow’s coffers.

The MEA additional famous that the European Union had a bilateral commerce of EUR67.5 billion in items and EUR17.2 billion in companies with Russia in 2023, considerably greater than India’s complete commerce with Russia. The EU’s LNG imports from Russia reached a file 16.5 million tonnes in 2024.

Furthermore, the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear business, palladium for its electrical automobile business, fertilisers, and chemical substances from Russia, learn MEA launch.

India’s vitality import technique prioritises vitality safety and affordability. The nation has diversified its vitality imports, rising reliance on international locations like Russia to fulfill its rising vitality calls for.

The MEA’s response got here after President Trump, in a publish on Reality Social, accused India of shopping for “huge quantities” of Russian oil and reselling it for revenue, claiming this undermined efforts to finish the Ukraine battle and, consequently, he would “considerably increase the tariff paid by India to the USA”.

The MEA, within the assertion, burdened that these imports are guided by the necessity to guarantee predictable and inexpensive vitality costs for its residents, whereas noting that Western nations criticising India are themselves engaged in far bigger commerce with Russia, regardless of no such compelling vitality insecurity.

“India’s imports are supposed to guarantee predictable and inexpensive vitality prices to the Indian client. They’re a necessity compelled by the worldwide market state of affairs. Nevertheless, it’s revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in commerce with Russia. In contrast to our case, such commerce will not be even an important nationwide compulsion,” the assertion learn.

For now, an present 10 % US tariff on Indian merchandise is anticipated to rise to 25 % come Thursday.

Final month, the EU and Britain sought to ramp up financial stress on Russia to halt the struggle in Ukraine by slashing a value cap meant to choke off revenues from key oil exports.