India is steadfast in its resolve to uphold and strengthen its strategic alliance with Russia in spite of growing threats and protectionist actions from US President Donald Trump. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s arrival in Moscow for high-level talks on August 5, 2025, is a blatant indication that New Delhi would continue to set its own foreign policy goals despite strong pressure from Washington and shifting global power dynamics.
Decades of defense, energy, technical, and political collaboration form the foundation of India and Russia’s strategic partnership. Both Doval’s current visit and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s impending travel in mid-August served to reinforce this relationship. These diplomatic efforts are not one-off events; rather, they are continuations of India’s long-standing multi-vector diplomacy policy, which aims to balance its interests internationally, protect energy security, and strengthen its defense capabilities.
In an effort to limit India’s expanding energy and defense commerce with Russia, President Trump has proposed a high 25% tariff on Indian imports in addition to unidentified extra penalties. Trump was frank in his criticism, calling Russia and India “dead economies” and denouncing India’s acquisition and selling of Russian crude oil for international gain. Indian officials have called the U.S. actions “unjustified and unreasonable” in spite of these punitive announcements. They claim that India would keep putting its own economic interests and reasonably priced energy supplies ahead of outside demands.
India’s response also brought attention to what it perceives to be unfair treatment by Western countries. The United States maintained a sizable amount of trade with Russia while enforcing strict tariffs and sanctions. Indian authorities are skeptical of the European Union’s stance because it continues to engage in some trade with Moscow while pressuring nations like India to reduce their connections.
Currently, energy cooperation is a key component of the India-Russia partnership. India’s imports of Russian crude oil have increased dramatically since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in early 2022 and the restructuring of the world’s energy markets. Prior to the conflict, they accounted for about 0.2% of total imports, but now they account for about 35–40%. India is now China’s second-largest consumer of Russian oil. Notably, these imports benefit European countries that increasingly rely on Indian exports of refined petroleum products and lower fuel prices for Indian consumers.
Expanding defense industry cooperation, including possible new agreements for cutting-edge weaponry systems like the S-400 missile platform, and talks on deeper integration between the Indian and Russian defense sectors are at the top of Ajit Doval’s Moscow agenda. At the same time, Russia and India are looking into alternate payment methods like rupee-rumble transactions in order to get over Western financial restrictions and maintain commerce and energy supplies.
India’s wider involvement also includes greater bilateral investments, cooperation in international forums, and collaborative ventures in resource-rich areas like the Arctic. By 2030, the two countries want to increase commerce to $100 billion, bolstered by agreements in nuclear energy, technology, space exploration, and vocational training.
India is strengthening a concept of strategic autonomy with these high-level visits and active collaboration activities. Even if it means ignoring pressure or threats from great powers, the nation continuously declares that it will form alliances based on its own national interests. India may even use the crisis as a chance to bargain for greater prices from Moscow, according to senior government sources, who have reiterated that there are no intentions to reduce its purchases of Russian oil.
Trump’s tariff threats are unlikely to sabotage the long-lasting India-Russian partnership, according to India’s multipronged strategy that combines political, economic, and security aspects. New Delhi is in a position to strengthen its unique and privileged strategic alliance with Moscow as significant bilateral summits draw near and the two countries commemorate significant turning points in their diplomatic history. Regardless of Western criticism, this approach is anticipated to influence India’s international stance in the areas of trade, energy, defense, and multilateral cooperation for years to come.
