The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) vehemently defended the nation’s choice to buy oil from Russia in the wake of former US President Donald Trump’s censure and tariff threats.
Trump’s charges and threats were deemed “unjustified and unreasonable” by the MEA, which also underlined India’s sovereign right to make trade decisions based on market realities and national interest.
Due to delays in conventional supply chains following the start of the crisis in Ukraine, India’s imports from Russia are essential to guaranteeing steady and reasonably priced energy supplies for its inhabitants. The MEA emphasized that the US had first promoted such imports to promote stability in the global energy market, and that India started expanding its imports from Russia as a result of many old suppliers shifting their supply to Europe.
By pointing out that the US still imports uranium hexafluoride, palladium, fertilizers, and chemicals from Russia for strategic industries, and that the European Union had a much larger overall trade with Russia in 2024 (€67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services), including record imports of Russian LNG, India also exposed the hypocrisy of Western criticism. The MEA emphasized that, in contrast to India, neither national necessity nor energy security forces the US or EU to engage in commerce with Russia.
The robust MEA statement emphasized that India’s purchases are driven by the market, represent global realities, and are essential to preserving the nation’s economic security and national interests. India firmly denied Trump’s accusation that it was making money by reselling Russian oil, defending its right to seek energy security in the face of Ukraine’s protracted geopolitical crisis.
India’s MEA reaction called out double standards, stated that it was prepared to protect India’s interests from US tariff threats and EU criticism, and presented its purchases of Russian oil as a sensible and independent decision driven by global market conditions and energy demands.
