Russia makes big call on ties with India amid Trump’s tariff threats, says India-Russia relations are now…

Russia has reaffirmed its strong ties with India, stating that its relationship is ‘steadily and confidently advancing’ despite US pressure on India to impose tariffs due to its continued purchase of Russian oil. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasised that any attempt to obstruct this progress is ‘destined to fail,’ highlighting the time-tested and resilient nature of India-Russia relations, according to state media outlet RT.

Russia lauds India's firm stand against Trump pressure

The Russian Foreign Ministry also lauded India for standing firm against constant pressure from the US and NATO to stop purchasing oil from Russia. Highlighting that India’s long-standing friendship with Russia that represents "strategic autonomy in international affairs, the ministry stated, “Frankly, anything else would be hard to imagine," reported RT. It also said India and Russia's partnership is based on “the highest value of sovereignty and the primacy of national interests." It added that the relationship has been “reliable, predictable and truly strategic in nature," reported RT.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump had said he would increase the tariff charged on imports from India from the current rate of 25% "very substantially" over the next 24 hours due to New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil, Reuters reported. Soon after, India said that "the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable". A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said the government will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.