India, Russia vow to deepen trade ties, defying Trump’s tariff threats over oil
TOPSHOT – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar are entering a hall on August 21, 2025 for his meetings at Zinaida Morozova’s mansion in Moscow.
Alexander Zemlianichenko | AFP | Getty Images
He agreed to expand the bilateral trade ties on Thursday, India and Russia, and said that the US’s schedule pressure on the new Delhi on Russian oil purchases is low.
India is currently facing additional tariffs up to 50% for goods sent to the United States after increasing tariff threats in response to Russian energy imports.
At a joint press conference in Moscow, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, “The Indian-Russian relations were among the most in the most important of the biggest relations in the world after the Second World War.”
Jaishankar promised to increase bilateral trade, including increasing the exports of pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textile to Russia to help reduce India’s existing imbalance.
Bilateral Trade between New Delhi and Moscow It reached $ 68.7 billion for the year ending in March 2025, and India’s increasing oil imports contributed to a $ 59 billion.
Jaishankar includes the sending of CT, construction and engineering to Indian workers to help Russia’s labor shortages of Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector and Russian oil shipments to the Indian market are “taking wide steps”. He said that both sides are determined to implement common energy production projects on the shelf of the Russian Far East and Russian North Pole, as well as other areas.
“This strategic partnership … Considering the challenging international conditions under which we operate, it contributes to regional security and stability that is undeniable.”
Western governments imposed sanctions on Moscow, arguing that India’s increasing imports helped Moscow’s war in Moscow in Ukraine. While the new Delhi demanded that the US administration to keep the markets calm, the US and the European Union demanded that the Union demanded from purchases while pointing to trade with Russia.
Russian Embassy officials in New Delhi reported In a statement on Wednesday, despite the US pressure, oil shipments to India will continue and Moscow hopes that a three -sided meeting with India and China will take place soon.
“Despite the political situation, the same level of oil imports [by India]Roman Roman Babushkin, the charges in the Russian Embassy in India, said a press briefing.
“Russia has been a close strategic partner of India since the 1970s, and the tariff threats of the Trump administration will not change it,” Daniel Balazs, the Research Assistant of Rajaratnam International Research School Research Assistant, will not change it. ” He said.
“On the contrary, even a catalyst can move,” Balazs added that the new Delhi wanted Moscow to accept a three -sided meeting that he wanted to mediate with China.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, India was the second largest buyer of Russian oil importing 1.6 million barrels per day from 50,000 BPD in 2020.
Washington did not put secondary tariffs in China for Russian oil purchases. When asked for the role of China in Russian oil purchases, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is thought to be a great buyer even before invading Ukraine, because Beijing’s imports are less terrible.
In contrast, Washington has recently increased the criticism of India, threatening its nation from cheap Russian raw and threatening higher tariffs on Indian goods.
Even a ceasefire
Trump’s real agenda seems to have little to do with Washington’s goal of preventing Moscow’s oil revenues, but According to several geopolitical experts, these trading partners are leveraged. These include a trade agreement with the new Delhi while pushing Putin for a ceasefire pact in Ukraine.
Last week, Trump published a red carpet to greet Putin during his first visit to the United States in about ten years and shared a journey with him at the presidential limousine. The meeting was held in Alaska, which was once a part of Russia.
The meeting did not seem to have produced meaningful steps towards the ceasefire in Ukraine, and the Russian government reiterated that it was against the short -term ceasefire agreement with Ukraine.
Speaking at the common news briefing on Thursday, Lavrov said that the Indian officials were published in these talks.
“India’s approach, dialogue and diplomacy continues to emphasize as necessary to solve differences.” He said.
