Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has delivered a clear message to the United States: countries cannot be forced to choose their trade partners. Responding to President Donald Trump’s threats against India, Peskov called attempts to force countries to cut ties with Russia “illegal.” He asserted that sovereign nations have a right to choose their own trading partners based on their national interests.
Trump’s warning, made via a social media post, targeted India directly for its “massive amounts” of Russian oil purchases. The US President accused India of reselling the oil for “big profits” and ignoring the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, vowing to “substantially” raise tariffs on Indian goods as a result. This threat follows the recent imposition of a 25% tariff on Indian products on August 1.
The Indian government has issued a sharp response, accusing the US and the EU of unfairly targeting New Delhi. In its official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs declared the criticism “unjustified and unreasonable” and affirmed that India would “safeguard its national interests and economic security.”
The diplomatic exchange is a textbook example of the clash between a country’s desire for strategic autonomy and the pressure from a global power to conform to its foreign policy. Russia’s support for India in this matter reinforces their close economic and strategic relationship, and highlights their mutual resistance to what they perceive as coercive American policies.