In response to the United States’ imposition of a 50% additional tariff on India for buying oil from Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his support for India’s stance. Lavrov stated that India is fully capable of making its own decisions regarding oil trade, praising his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar. During their meetings, Lavrov avoids discussing oil and trade, understanding India’s autonomy in these matters. Lavrov also praised India’s ‘self-respect’ and supported India’s oil trade policies. He noted Jaishankar’s earlier statement that India would be willing to discuss terms if the US wanted to sell oil, but India’s oil purchases from other countries, including Russia, are independent of the India-US agenda. Further, Lavrov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit India in December, highlighting the strong bilateral relationship. This includes a broad agenda for cooperation in trade, defense, and technology. Lavrov also mentioned international coordination through SCO, BRICS, and at the bilateral level. This comes as India and the US are engaged in trade deal negotiations, with the US, under the Trump administration, imposing tariffs on India, including a 25% surcharge impacting India’s oil trade with Russia.
