Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cautioned on Tuesday that it is “illegal” to make statements threatening to force governments to cease trade with Russia. He referenced comments by US President Donald Trump, who stated he would impose tariffs on India due to its purchase of “massive amounts” of Russian oil, which it resells for “big profits.”
Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of applying illegal trade pressures on India after U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened to increase tariffs on India due to its Russian oil imports.
“We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov briefed journalists.
“We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to choose for themselves the forms of trade and economic cooperation that are in the interests of a particular country.”
What did Trump say about India’s oil trade?
On Monday, Trump once again threatened to increase tariffs on Indian goods because of its Russian oil imports. Trump announced that starting Friday, he will implement new sanctions on Russia and on nations purchasing its energy exports, unless Moscow takes actions to cease its 3½-year conflict with Ukraine.
In a Truth Social post, he wrote,
“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”
How is India responding to Trump’s tariff warning?
India has accused Trump of “unjustified” behaviour and committed to not harming the country’s economic interest, heightening the trade dispute between the two large economies.
According to two Indian government sources, India will still not drop oil purchases from Russia despite Trump saying he would put tariffs and fines on it. Since 2022, India has become the world’s largest buyer of Russian oil and has topped 2 million barrels of oil a day, which would meet 35-40% of India’s total crude needs by 2025.
