External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, sharply questioned the US decision to impose tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. He said India was “very perplexed at the logic of the argument”.
The US has accused India of increasing oil imports from Russia after the Ukraine war and “profiteering” by reselling. However, Jaishankar countered this claim, pointing out that other countries buy more from Russia without facing similar penalties.
“Why Only India?”
Jaishankar explained that India is not the largest importer of Russian oil—that is, China. Nor is it the biggest buyer of Russian LNG—that is the European Union. He also noted that other countries have seen a bigger trade surge with Russia since 2022.
Moscow | During a press briefing, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says, “…We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge… pic.twitter.com/pbH06HtTwK
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025
“So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you had referred to,” he told reporters.
The minister reminded that the US itself had encouraged India to help stabilise the global energy market by buying oil from Russia. “Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased,” he added.
US Tariffs Hit Indian Exports
The controversy comes as the US, under President Donald Trump, has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian exports. Washington claims the penalties are linked to New Delhi’s continued energy ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.
In his remarks with Lavrov, Jaishankar highlighted that India and Russia have been “the steadiest of the major relationships” since World War 2.
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He stressed that sustaining energy cooperation with Russia through trade and investments is vital. He also underlined strong defence and technical cooperation, with Russia backing India’s Make in India initiative through joint production and technology transfer.
On trade, Jaishankar said both sides reaffirmed their goal to expand commerce in a “balanced and sustainable” way. He pointed out that increasing India’s exports to Russia—particularly in agriculture, pharma, and textiles—would help correct the trade imbalance.
Oil, War, and India’s National Interest
India remains the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian oil after China. Its imports rose sharply after the Ukraine war due to cheaper prices and better availability.
New Delhi is adamant that energy security and national interest, not geopolitics, drive its oil imports. While insisting that India will take action to protect its energy requirements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict on numerous occasions.
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