India will continue to buy oil from wherever it “gets the best deal” in order to protect the interests of its 1.4 billion people, the country’s ambassador to Russia has said.
Vinay Kumar’s statement comes days before US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on India, including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons, are set to kick in.
On Sunday, US Vice-President JD Vance said that Trump had announced secondary tariffs on India to apply “aggressive economic leverage” on Russia and force it to stop the war in Ukraine.
Delhi’s increased imports of cheap Russian crude since the war began has strained its ties with the US and impacted negotiations on a trade deal.
Russian crude made up 35-40% of India’s oil imports in 2024, up from 3% in 2021.
The US has alleged that India’s purchase of Russian oil is helping fund the war in Ukraine, a charge Delhi denies.
On Sunday, Kumar told Russia’s TASS news agency that India’s trade was based on market factors and that its priority remains energy security for its population.
He also reiterated India’s stand that Trump’s decision to impose secondary tariffs was “unfair, unreasonable and unjustified”.
Kumar’s statement came hours after India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar robustly defended India’s purchase of Russian crude.
“It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” he said on Saturday, pointing out that the US has not imposed secondary tariffs on China - the largest importer of Russian oil - or the European Union, which still conducts a huge amount of trade with Russia.
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He said that India maintained strategic autonomy in its decision-making, signalling that it would not be pressured by the US into reducing oil imports from Russia.
India maintains friendly relations with Ukraine, while Russia is one of its most important allies.
Delhi has repeatedly called for a “peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy” to the Russia-Ukraine war, but has avoided public condemnation of Russia despite pressure from the West.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Ukraine in 2024, and India has expressed its willingness to “contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early restoration of peace”.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk told local media that President Volodymr Zelensky may visit India soon, though the dates haven’t been confirmed yet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to visit India sometime this year.
On Sunday, Vance expressed confidence in Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“He (Trump) tried to make it clear that Russia can be re-invited into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they are going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” he said.
Source: BBC
-Agencies
