‘Right to choose’: After India, Russia rebukes Trump’s tariff threat over crude oil; calls it illegitimate in strong reaction
Russia on Tuesday criticised Donald Trump’s threat to “substantially” raise tariffs on India over its continued oil trade with Moscow, saying that “sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners.”“Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told news agency AFP, criticising calls to “force countries to sever trading relations” with Russia as “illegitimate”.India on Monday hit back at Trump’s warning to “substantially” raise tariffs on Indian goods over continued oil imports from Russia, calling the remarks “unjustified and unreasonable”.In a sharply worded statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) defended India’s energy choices, asserting that purchases of Russian crude are driven by market realities, not political alignment. “India’s oil imports from Russia are a necessity compelled by global market conditions,” the MEA said, rejecting the notion that trade decisions equate to political endorsement of Moscow.“India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the MEA said in a statement, while pointing out that the US and European Union have themselves continued trade with Russia, including in energy and critical commodities, despite publicly opposing the Ukraine conflict.The response came hours after Trump accused India of “buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it on the open market for big profits,” and vowed to penalie New Delhi by raising tariffs. The US President had earlier signed an executive order on August 1 titled ‘Further modifying the reciprocal tariff rates’, slapping a 25 per cent duty on Indian goods.
