The Kremlin on Tuesday criticised fresh tariff threats by US President Donald Trump against India over its continued imports of Russian oil, calling the pressure campaign “illegal” and a violation of sovereign trade rights.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the US was attempting to coerce other countries into cutting trade ties with Russia, but such efforts had no legal standing. “We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,” he said.
Peskov added that “sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners” based on national interest, and that external interference in such decisions was unacceptable.
Trump has warned that starting Friday, the US will impose fresh sanctions on Russia and on nations that continue to purchase its energy exports, unless Moscow makes moves to end the ongoing war in Ukraine. The conflict has now entered its fourth year.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of changing his position on the war. India, for its part, has dismissed the US threat as “unjustified” and reiterated its commitment to safeguarding its economic interests.
Senior Indian government officials the weekend that India will continue to buy Russian crude despite the potential imposition of US tariffs, deepening the trade rift between Washington and New Delhi.
India has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil since Western sanctions forced Moscow to divert energy exports to Asia. The continuation of these purchases has drawn increasing scrutiny from the US, which argues they help fund Russia’s war effort.