Russia Attacks the US for “Illegal” Pressure on India in the Face of Tariff Threats

The US has been accused by Russia of using unlawful threats to pressure India into cutting off trade with Moscow.

Following fresh threats from US President Donald Trump to increase tariffs on New Delhi for its ongoing purchases of Russian oil, Russia accused the US on Tuesday of imposing “illegal” trade pressure on India.

Many of the words we hear are actually threats or attempts to pressure other nations to sever trade ties with Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow, “We do not consider such statements to be legal.”

Peskov maintained that independent states should be allowed to select their own trading partners free from outside influence.

He stated, “We think that sovereign nations should and do have the right to select their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to select for themselves the types of trade and economic cooperation that are in a given country’s best interests.”

His remarks followed President Trump’s warning that starting Friday, the US would slap fresh penalties on nations who still buy Russia’s energy supplies. Trump has blamed the sanctions on Moscow’s inability to put an end to its three-and-a-half-year conflict with Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has not changed his stance on the conflict in response to increasing criticism.

India, a crucial strategic ally of both Moscow and Washington, has retaliated against Trump’s threats. In a commitment to defend its economic interests, New Delhi has called the US action “unjustified.”

India is to keep purchasing oil from Russia in spite of the possibility of US sanctions, according to two Indian government sources that Reuters reported over the weekend.