India on Monday denounced as unfair the mounting pressure from the United States and European Union over its continued purchases of Russian oil.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said the country would safeguard its economic interests amid threats of steep tariffs from President Donald Trump.
What did New Delhi say about trade with Russia?
"The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," said Jaiswal, asserting the country's sovereign right to secure energy supplies in line with its needs.
"Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," he added.
Jaiswal also argued that India's imports began only after Western countries diverted traditional supplies to Europe following the outbreak of the Ukraine war. He also accused both the EU and the US of hypocrisy.
"It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia," Jaiswal said.
"Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion."
Jaiswal pointed to ongoing Europe-Russia trade involving fertilizers, chemicals, iron and steel, machinery, and transport equipment.
He also noted that the US continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for electric vehicles, and other industrial goods.
What did Trump say about India and tariffs?
US President Donald Trump has threatened to sharply increase tariffs on Indian goods, accusing New Delhi of profiting from discounted Russian oil while failing to support efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
While Trump did not specify the exact rate, an existing 10% tariff on Indian products is expected to rise to 25% starting Thursday.
The move, he said, was in response to India "buying massive amounts of Russian oil" and reselling it for profit, which he claimed fuels Moscow’s war on Ukraine. "They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The move adds strain to a key trade relationship. The US is India’s largest trading partner, with Indian exports to the US totaling $87.4 billion in 2024. India recorded a nearly $46 billion trade surplus with the US the same year.
