Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, stated on Thursday that Washington’s pressure campaign against India’s purchases of Russian oil is directly targeted. He maintained that New Delhi shouldn’t be held to a different standard because the US itself still imports nuclear fuel from Russia.
Hours before arriving in New Delhi for a two-day state visit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him, Putin made the comments in an interview with India Today. The purpose of the visit is to expand the variety of items traded between the two longstanding partners and strengthen bilateral trade.
“The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants,” Putin added, challenging the US decision to impose sanctions. That is gasoline as well. “This question deserves thorough examination, and we stand ready to discuss it, including with President Trump,” he continued.
Calling the Trump administration’s tariffs on Indian exports “unjustified and unreasonable,” India has consistently rejected Washington’s accusations, particularly in light of the US and EU’s continued importation of substantial amounts of Russian LNG, enriched uranium, and other commodities.
Since 2022, India has emerged as the leading consumer of seaborne Russian oil despite Western sanctions.
However, due to increased US tariffs and more stringent sanctions against Moscow, India’s crude imports are predicted to reach a three-year low this month. New Delhi rejects the Trump administration’s argument that India’s purchase of cheap Russian oil indirectly funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Although Putin conceded that trade flows had temporarily weakened, he minimized its importance. “The first nine months of this year have shown a certain decrease in overall trade turnover. This is only a small change. All things considered, our trade turnover is essentially unchanged from before,” he stated. “Russian oil is running smoothly in India,” he said.
