India is not succumbing to Donald Trump’s tariffs, pressure, and arm-twisting tactics meant to discourage India from buying Russian crude oil. Amidst straining India-US ties, Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation have bought Russian oil for September and October delivery.
While US President Donald Trump levied 25% tariff and doubled the same as ‘punishment’ for buying Russian crude oil, New Delhi made it clear that its trade decisions will not be made or altered at the whims of White House.
Even the brief pause in India’s purchase of Russian oil in July was due to narrower discounts. However, with discounts for Russia’s flagship Ural crude widening to $3 per barrel, Indian refiners have resumed Russian oil purchases. As per a Reuters report, Bharat Petroleum and IOCL have also purchased other Russian crude oil grades from Varandey and Siberian Light.
“If West criticises, you’re doing everything right”: Russia backs India against Trump’s anti-India tirade
As India ramped up Russian oil purchases even in the face of mounting American pressure, Russia has expressed strong support for its iron brother India.
Evgeniy Griva, the Russian deputy trade representative, said on 20th August 2025, that despite the pressure on Russia and its economy, there is an increase in cooperation between India and Russia. He said that especially when it comes to the Rupee-Ruble payments between India and Russia, the cooperation has increased, and highlighted that despite the blackmailing, the cooperation in the financial sphere is safe.
Griva made the remarks on Wednesday, August 20, during a joint press conference with Roman Babushkin, Charge d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Delhi. Babushkin slammed the US for imposing ‘sanctions’ on India. He said that the Trump administration’s move reflects a lack of trust and respect for India’s sovereignty. Babushkin minced no words and said that if Washington truly considered India its friend, it “wouldn’t have behaved like that”.
Calling the sanctions on the Russian economy as illegal, Babushkin said, “Non-United Nations sanctions and secondary sanctions are illegal. They weaponise the economy. Despite the tremendous sanction pressure on Russia, the Russian economy is growing steadily. It means that you cannot exclude from the global economy such a big and important country like Russia with its tremendous energy, industrial and human potential.”
During the press briefing, Roman Babushkin dubbed sanctions as tools of “unlawful competition”. He also criticised America for its double standards.
“As we all know, the sanctions are a tool of unlawful competition. It’s always about double standards. A lack of trust, blackmail and pressure, as well as disrespect for national interests. Friends don’t behave like that,” Babushkin said.
Meanwhile, Evgeniy Griva highlighted, “We see that after such pressure an increase in cooperation, and especially in the financial sphere, for example, because payments in Ruble-Rupee became safer when you can expect that there would be some blackmailing. So, just the trend is that more pressure, more cooperation. “
The Russian official further pointed out that India and Russia have seen stable growth in trade and have reached levels where it can be predicted that the usual growth in trade would be 10 per cent annually.
“We have really very stable growth in our trade… Now we have reached the level and we can predict that, and focus on the usual growth in trade will be approximately 10 per cent annually. Besides that, we see the tendency that now Indian exports towards Russia are growing bigger and faster”, Griva said.
#WATCH | Delhi | Deputy trade representative of Russia to India, Evgeniy Griva says, "We can predict that the usual growth of trade will be approximately 10 per cent. Indian exports to Russia are growing bigger and faster…Export of machine tools, electronic devices, pharma and… pic.twitter.com/8HFpU8xXvZ
— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2025
He mentioned that despite crude oil being the main item of Russia’s export, export of other commodities is also increasing. “I wanted to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import, crude oil import will be approximately the same, and it’s absolutely positive trend, because for Russia it’s the main supply”, he said.
In addition, Griva informed that Indian traders are getting approximately 5% discount on Russian oil purchases.
“As for discount (on crude purchase), it’s a commercial secret. I think, because it’s usually just dialogue between businessmen and approximately usually 5% (is the discount). It’s fluctuating, but usually it’s plus-minus 5%,” said Evgeniy Griva.
Griva mentioned that Indian exports are also increasing to Russia in areas such as machine tools, pharma and electronic devices.
During the press conference, Russian diplomat Roman Bubushkin called the Western powers “neocolonial”, saying that they prioritise only their benefit. He stressed that any unilateral action against India over buying Russian oil would lead to supply chain disruption, pricing imbalance and destabilise global energy markets.
“Russia is the largest producer of oil, and India is the largest consumer. Any kind of unilateral action leads to disruptions in supply chains, imbalance in pricing policies and destabilisation of global markets, endangering the energy security of developing countries. Hypothetically, if India refuses Russian oil, it will not lead to equal cooperation with the West in general because it is not in the Western nature, which was clearly demonstrated in recent years. They behave like neocolonial powers that think of their own benefit. This pressure is unjustified and unilateral,” he said.
Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Is 'Not In The West's Nature': Senior ?? Diplomat Babushkin In New Delhi Explains How India Can't Expect A Fair Deal – Even If It Drops Russian Oil
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) August 20, 2025
"They behave like neo-colonial powers, just exploiting and thinking about the benefits for… pic.twitter.com/4yrzaCewC2
The Russian Chargé d’Affaires Roman Babushkin went on to say that if Indian goods are facing difficulties in entering the US markets, as the Indo-US trade deal talks have derailed and Trump is on a tariff-imposing spree, Russia is ready to offer a wider trade corridor to India.
“If Indian goods are facing difficulties entering the US market, the Russian market is welcoming Indian exports to the most extent possible. Don’t worry about that,” Babushkin said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On US sanctioning 50% tariff on India, Roman Babushkin, Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in India, says, "..If Indian goods are facing difficulties entering the US market, the Russian market is welcoming Indian exports…" pic.twitter.com/DjeUdmSYbJ
— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2025
Speaking on the US trade Adviser, Peter Navarro saying that India should stop buying Russian oil to avoid secondary tariffs, Roman Babushkin said they do not expect that to happen.
“If the West criticises you, it means you are doing everything right…We don’t expect that to happen (India to stop buying oil from Russia). We know about the challenging circumstances for India. This is the true strategic partnership we are enjoying. Whatever happens, even during challenges, we are committed to removing any problems…The recent phone call by President Putin to PM Modi ji, explaining and sharing the information about recent developments in Ukraine, means India matters a lot to Russia. We are capable of finding any solution for mutual satisfaction. The deepening of our partnership will help us grow together…”
#WATCH | Delhi | On US trade adviser stating India should stop buying Russian oil, Roman Babushkin, Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in India , says, "If the West criticises you, it means you are doing everything right…We don't expect that to happen (India to stop… https://t.co/85NGvwRH2v pic.twitter.com/bKYFQ1aK3I
— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2025
Notably, Peter Navarro, senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to President Trump, recently wrote an opinion piece in the Financial Times newspaper wherein he claimed that India’s purchases of Russian crude oil is funding Moscow’s war against Russia and that New Delhi needs to stop this. He asserted that India needs to stop cosying up to Russia and China if it wants to be treated as the US’s strategic partner.
Navarro decided to sermonise to India on how it should act to be treated as the US’s strategic partner; however, the White House advisor did not advise Trump that he should stop cosying up to the state sponsor of anti-India cross-border Jihadi terrorism, Pakistan.
“India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” the Financial Times article headlined “India’s oil lobby is funding Putin’s war machine — that has to stop”, stated.
Interestingly, the remarks by Russian diplomats come as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Russia co-chairing the Russia-India Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC), a key platform for bilateral cooperation across trade, energy, finance and defence. During his visit, he will meet Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The Embassy of India in Russia shared his arrival in Moscow on Tuesday evening in a post on X. It said, “Hon’ble EAM @DrSJaishankar arrives in Moscow on an official visit to Russia.”
Hon’ble EAM @DrSJaishankar arrives in Moscow on an official visit to Russia.
— India in Russia (@IndEmbMoscow) August 19, 2025
?? ?? pic.twitter.com/LCL88e2W2d
It is interesting to note that while Trump has accused India of ‘fuelling the Russian war machine’, the US and European Union continue to purchase not only Russian oil but also several non-essential items.
Trump administration has been trying hard to paint India as the financer of Russia’s military action against a NATO-backed Ukraine. However, during his meeting with the US President in Alaska on 16th August, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that US-Russia bilateral trade has expanded by over 20 per cent in the past few months, exposing Trump’s persistent claims that the US has been pressuring Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
As if India’s refusal to give in to the US’s pressure tactics and not lending credence to Trump’s ‘I stopped India-Pakistan war’ claims was not embarrassing enough for the US President, the growing India-Russia-China bonhomie shows that Trump’s petulance and anti-India tirade have backfired spectacularly.
