August 22, 2025
NEW DELHI – In a sharp response to the United States’ decision to impose 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian goods for purchase of Russian oil, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday asserted that China and the European Union were the biggest purchasers of Russian oil and LNG than India.
In a joint press interaction with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow following their talks, Jaishankar stressed that India is not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil.
He further said India also buys oil from the US, and that amount has increased.
“We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries to the South. We are a country where the Americans have said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia. Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you (the media) had referred to,” Jaishankar said.
US President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in July, even as there were hopes of an interim India-US trade deal that would have otherwise helped avoid elevated tariffs. A few days later, he imposed another 25 per cent tariff, taking the total to 50 per cent, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil.
During the press interaction, the External Affairs Minister said his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister allowed a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of India–Russia bilateral relations.
“We believe that relations between India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War. Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers,” he said.
“We reaffirmed our shared ambition to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner, including by increasing India’s exports to Russia. This requires swiftly addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments. Enhancing Indian exports to Russia in sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles will certainly help to correct the current imbalance,” Jaishankar said.
He further said that steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilizers was also taken up.
“Indian skilled workers, especially in IT, construction, and engineering, can address the labour needs in Russia and deepen collaboration. Sustaining energy cooperation through trade and investments is also important,” Jaishankar said.
During the talks, Jaishankar and Lavrov also discussed developments in Ukraine and West Asia, with the External Affairs Minister laying thrust on dialogue and diplomacy in resolving conflicts.
“On regional issues, we discussed developments in Ukraine, West Asia, the Middle East and Afghanistan. India’s approach continues to emphasise dialogue and diplomacy as essential to resolving differences,” Jaishankar said.
The External Affairs Minister said the defence and military cooperation between the two contries is robust and Russia supports ‘Make in India’ goals.
“Our defence and military technical cooperation also remains robust. Russia supports India’s ‘Make in India’ goals, including joint production and technology transfer,” he said.
The External Affairs Minister said he also took up the issue of Indians serving in the Russian Army during the meeting.
“While many have been released, there are still some pending cases, with some missing persons. We hope that the Russian side will expeditiously resolve this,” he said.
“On terrorism, we resolved to fight jointly against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. I conveyed India’s strong resolve to adopt a zero‑tolerance policy against terrorism and our sovereign right to defend our citizens against cross-border terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
Later in a post on X, the External Affairs Minister said, “Pleased to meet FM Sergey Lavrov today in Moscow. Had a detailed discussion on our bilateral ties, including trade, investment, energy, fertilizers, health, skilling and mobility, defence, and people to people exchanges.”
“We exchanged views on Ukraine, Europe, Iran, West Asia, Afghanistan and the Indian sub-continent. Also spoke about our cooperation in UN, G20, SCO and BRICS. Our meeting helped prepare the outcomes and decisions for the Annual Summit later this year,” Jaishankar further said in the post on X