Russia backs India's stand on oil amid Trump tariffs, says it has 'self-respect'
Sergey Lavrov said that in his exchanges with Jaishankar, he never brings up oil trade, asserting India was "perfectly capable" of making its own decisions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday backed India’s stand on its oil trade policies in the face of steep 50% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Lavrov said India can very well make these decisions as he hailed his counterpart S Jaishankar.
Lavrov said that in his regular exchanges with Jaishankar, he never brings up the issue of oil and trade, asserting that India was "perfectly capable" of making its own decisions on the matter.
"I'm not even asking what is going to happen to our trade relations, our oil. I don't ask our Indian colleagues this. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own," Lavrov said.
He also heaped praise on India's "self-respect" as he backed New Delhi's stand on its oil trade policies. "And publicly, my friend, whom I referenced earlier when he was asked a similar question, said, if the US wants to sell their oil to us, we are prepared to discuss the terms for this. But what we buy from other countries, not the United States, but from Russia or other countries, that's our own business. And that has nothing to do with the Indian-US agenda. And I believe that that is a very worthy response that shows that India, like Turkey, has self-respect," Lavrov said.
Lavrov also confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to visit India in December this year. He highlighted the strength of India-Russia relations, noting their “very extensive” bilateral agenda that includes trade, defense, and technical cooperation, among other areas. “…and of course close coordination at the international level within the SCO, BRICS and bilaterally…,” he added.
Lavrov's affirmation of India-Russia relationship comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between New Delhi and Washington, in the face of Trump administration's 50% tariffs on India.
Of these duties, 25% were imposed as additional sanctions for India's oil trade with Russia. However, India has long maintained that its energy policies are guided by offers in markets and prevailing global situation.
