The BRICS TimesMoscow highlights New Delhi’s adherence to free trade despite Washington’s tariff policies, says Russian foreign minister
Russia has expressed appreciation for India’s resilience in the face of U.S. trade pressure, emphasizing that New Delhi has remained committed to the principles of free trade. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscored this stance while speaking in an interview with an Indonesian daily, pointing to India’s independent position despite repeated attempts by Washington to impose economic restrictions.
“As everyone knows, US President Donald Trump has not only threatened to impose higher import tariffs on products from a number of Russia’s trading partners. Such tariffs have already been imposed, for example, on India, our particularly privileged strategic partner, a major consumer of Russian goods, in particular hydrocarbon raw materials. We appreciate the fact that New Delhi has not caved in to pressure and remains committed to the principles of free trade,” Lavrov remarked.
He further highlighted the contradictions in American trade policies, noting that the United States, once a vocal supporter of global free trade, has now shifted course by adopting protectionist measures.
Earlier, Trump had written on his social media platform, Truth Social, that India was preparing to slash tariffs on U.S. goods to nearly zero. However, he criticized the move as coming too late, insisting that New Delhi “should have made this decision many years ago” and warning that “it was now getting too late.” The former U.S. president described bilateral trade between the two countries as “one-sided,” claiming that India exported massive volumes of goods to the American market while offering little in return.
In August, Washington raised tariffs on Indian imports by an additional 25%, bringing the total duty level to 50%—one of the steepest tariff rates introduced by the U.S. This decision, observers noted, was linked to India’s surging oil trade with Russia. According to U.S. estimates, Russian crude had increased from less than 1% of India’s oil imports before 2022 to about 42% afterward. The hike also followed a breakdown in bilateral trade talks, as five rounds of negotiations ended without consensus. India had anticipated that tariffs would be capped at 15% but was confronted with much harsher measures.
Labeling the U.S. duties as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” New Delhi has nevertheless continued to expand its purchases of Russian energy.
Lavrov, in his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Moscow this August, also commended the deepening cooperation within multilateral frameworks. “This is a multipolar system of international relations with an increasing role played by SCO, BRICS and G20,” Lavrov told Jaishankar.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India later this year for his annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a meeting that is expected to reinforce the strategic and economic partnership between the two nations.
