Ludmila Zhernovskaya00:59, 05.08.25

The Foreign Ministry says that supplies of Russian oil are necessary to ensure stable prices for consumers.

India has said it will not stop importing Russian oil as Western countries themselves continue to trade with the Russian Federation.

An official statement from the country’s Foreign Ministry noted that New Delhi began buying Russian oil after its usual supply routes were reoriented to Europe amid the war in Ukraine. At the time, the US openly encouraged Indian purchases to maintain stability in global energy markets:

“India’s imports are intended to provide predictable and affordable energy costs to Indian consumers. This is a necessity dictated by the global market situation. However, it is significant that the same countries that criticize India are themselves trading with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national necessity.”

According to the ministry, in 2024, trade turnover between the European Union and Russia amounted to 67.5 billion euros, and in 2023, trade in services – another 17.2 billion euros. These figures exceed the volumes of Indian-Russian trade both in 2023 and in subsequent years. At the same time, LNG imports to Europe in 2024 reached a record 16.5 million tons, exceeding the previous maximum of 15.21 million tons in 2022.Read also:

European-Russian trade covers not only energy resources, but also fertilizers, minerals, chemicals, metals, machinery and transport equipment. The United States continues to import uranium hexafluoride for the nuclear industry, palladium for the production of electric cars, fertilizers and other chemical products from Russia.

“Against this backdrop, targeting India is unjustified and unwarranted. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests and economic security,” the statement said.

Trump’s Threats to India

Let us recall that the US President is demanding that India stop purchasing Russian oil , threatening a significant increase in duties on Indian exports to the US.

He had previously imposed a 25% tariff on goods from India and warned of possible secondary sanctions – up to 100% tariffs – for countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas or uranium.

As is well known, Trump set a 50-day deadline to force Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine or face economic sanctions, including secondary duties on Russian energy exporters.

He subsequently reduced the deadline to 10 days, meaning the ultimatum should expire on August 8. New sanctions could affect India, China and Brazil. China has already announced that it will continue Russian imports.

(c)UNIAN 2025