Moscow/New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he was "very perplexed" by the United States imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over Russian oil imports, pointing out that Washington itself had earlier encouraged New Delhi to buy crude from Moscow to stabilise global markets. His remarks came in Moscow where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and is understood to have conveyed India's intent to deepen bilateral cooperation across trade, energy, and technology, even as ties with Washington face renewed strain over oil imports from Russia.
The meeting, held during Jaishankar's three-day visit to Russia, assumed added significance as it came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's decision to impose up to 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent levy linked to India's energy trade with Moscow.
In a social media post after his audience with Putin, Jaishankar said he delivered greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed the Russian leader on his talks with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "The preparations for the Annual Leaders' Summit are well underway. Appreciate his sharing perspectives on the global situation and recent developments on Ukraine," he wrote.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Lavrov, where both sides pledged to expand bilateral trade in a "balanced and sustainable manner." He underlined that increasing India's exports to Russia, particularly in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles, would be crucial to addressing the current trade imbalance.
"This requires swiftly addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments. Enhancing Indian exports to Russia will certainly help correct the imbalance," Jaishankar said at a joint press briefing. He added that discussions also covered ensuring long-term fertiliser supplies and potential opportunities for Indian skilled workers in Russia's IT, construction, and engineering sectors.
Lavrov and Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining energy cooperation, a cornerstone of the India-Russia partnership. The Indian minister also raised concerns about nationals serving in the Russian Army. "While many have been released, there are still some pending cases and some missing persons. We hope the Russian side will expeditiously resolve these matters," he said. At the press conference, Jaishankar issued one of the clearest responses yet from a senior Indian official to Washington's recent tariff escalation. Asked about the criticism from White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, the external affairs minister said, "We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil. That is China. We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian LNG. I think that is the European Union. We are not the country which has had the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022. There are some countries to the south."
He pointed out that India acted in line with the suggestion it had previously received from Washington. "We are a country where actually the Americans said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy markets, including buying oil from Russia. Incidentally, we also buy oil from America, and that amount has been increasing. So, quite honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument," he remarked.
Trump had earlier announced an executive order doubling tariffs on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued energy ties with Moscow. In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, Navarro accused India of "profiteering" by refining discounted Russian oil and exporting petroleum products to Europe, Africa, and Asia.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week warned that secondary tariffs could follow if India did not scale back its Russian crude imports. Notably, Washington has not applied similar measures against China, the largest buyer of Russian oil.
India's reliance on Russian oil has grown significantly since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022, when Western nations imposed sanctions and curtailed energy imports from Moscow. According to official data, Russia's share in India's total oil imports climbed from just 1.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, making it India's biggest supplier.
New Delhi has consistently defended the purchases, saying they are driven by national interest and market realities. In his remarks on Thursday, Jaishankar reiterated that India's decisions on crude procurement were shaped by energy security imperatives. Describing India-Russia ties as among the "steadiest" of major international relationships since the Second World War, Jaishankar noted that "geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers."
The two ministers also discussed broader global challenges, including 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.
The leaders reviewed coordination in multilateral platforms, including BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and underlined the need for reforming international institutions. "We underlined the imperative to expand and energise the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary realities," he stated.
The Ukraine conflict was a recurring theme in Jaishankar's meetings. He said India's approach continued to be guided by the belief that "dialogue and diplomacy are essential to resolving differences." Discussions also covered developments in West Asia and Afghanistan.
India has on several occasions pressed for an early end to the conflict, with Prime Minister Modi telling Putin during his Moscow visit in July last year that peace "is not possible on the battlefield." He later conveyed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv that both Russia and Ukraine must engage in direct dialogue.
The Indian minister's trip is also seen as laying the groundwork for Putin's visit to India later this year for the annual summit with Modi, likely to take place in November or December. Jaishankar's engagements with Manturov on Wednesday were part of this process, focusing on trade, technology and investment cooperation.
Speaking before his meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar said, "The global context for our meeting today is provided by the evolving geopolitical situation, the shifting economic and trade landscape, and our shared goal is to maximise our complementarity."
He added that both sides sought "maximum outcomes" from the forthcoming summit, which remains the central platform for charting the trajectory of India-Russia relations.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.