External affairs minister S. Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, underscoring New Delhi’s focus on sustaining trade and strategic engagement with Russia even as the United States imposes punitive tariffs on India over purchases of Russian oil during the Ukraine war.
Earlier, Jaishankar held talks with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, after which he publicly questioned the rationale behind Washington’s tariff decision when asked by reporters at a joint press conference. He noted that India has been urged in recent years to help stabilize global energy markets, including through oil purchases from Russia, and pointed out that India also imports increasing volumes of crude from the US.
The Modi government has highlighted continuity in its Russia relationship while pursuing a tentative thaw with China, a recalibration that has accelerated since President Donald Trump’s administration levied the steepest duties yet on Indian goods as part of a more protectionist trade and foreign policy posture. A 25% tariff on Indian exports to the US is already in force, with an additional 25% “penalty” scheduled to take effect later this month.
Although India is the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China, the US has not implemented comparable measures against Beijing. American officials have argued that India sharply ramped up imports following the outbreak of the conflict and has “profiteered” by reselling Russian oil—an assertion Jaishankar pushed back on, calling the logic perplexing.
Signals of India’s strategic balancing have also been visible in recent high-level outreach. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently lauded Vladimir Putin during a phone call following the Russian leader’s summit with US President Donald Trump aimed at advancing a settlement to the Ukraine war. Modi reiterated that India “has consistently called for a peaceful resolution” of the conflict and agreed to maintain close contact with Moscow.
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