External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has strongly defended India's right to purchase oil from Russia, rebuffing criticism from the United States regarding these imports. His remarks come in the wake of increasing pressure from Washington, including the imposition of tariffs on Indian goods, due to India's continued trade with Moscow despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Jaishankar, speaking at a joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, emphasized that India is not the largest importer of Russian oil. He pointed out that China holds that position and that the European Union is a larger purchaser of Russian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). He also noted that India's oil purchases from the U.S. have, in fact, increased. "We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian LNG, that is the European Union," Jaishankar stated.
The External Affairs Minister expressed his perplexity at the U.S.'s stance, given that the U.S. had previously encouraged India to buy Russian oil to stabilize global energy markets. "We are a country where actually the Americans said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia," Jaishankar said. He added, "Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has been increasing. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you had referred to".
The U.S. has been critical of India's continued oil imports from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Washington has imposed a 25% tariff on all goods exported by India to the U.S. and levied an additional 25% on imports, citing India's continued purchase of Russian crude as indirectly funding Moscow's war against Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump's trade advisor, Peter Navarro, has called India the "Maharaja" of tariffs and accused New Delhi of running a "profiteering scheme" by importing Russian oil. Navarro expects punitive tariffs of 50% on Indian imports to take effect on August 27.
Despite the U.S. measures, India has resumed large-scale imports of Russian crude. In August 2025, Russian oil accounted for 38% of India's total crude supply, amounting to 2 million barrels per day. This has allowed India to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers and control consumer fuel prices and inflation. India defends its energy procurement as driven by national interest and market dynamics.
Russia and India are also reportedly expanding "special mechanisms" to bypass sanctions and tariffs, including deals using rupees. Bilateral trade between the two countries is increasing, with a target of $100 billion by 2030. Jaishankar has urged stronger trade with Moscow, calling on Russian firms to work "more intensively" with Indian partners and diversify their trade basket.
India has maintained that its relationship with Russia has been "the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War". Jaishankar's recent visit to Moscow, where he met with both Foreign Minister Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, underscores the importance of this relationship to India.
