India hits back at Trump threat, cites US, EU "double standards"
India's ruling party and main opposition condemned on Tuesday a threat by US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, in a show of political unity as a trade rift deepens with Washington.
Trump had already in July announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, and US officials have cited a range of geopolitical issues standing in the way of a US-India trade accord.
India's Foreign Ministry said the country was being unfairly singled out over its purchases of Russian oil, and highlighted continued trade between Moscow and both the United States and the European Union, despite the war in Ukraine.
"It is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia," it said in a statement issued late on Monday.
"It is unjustified to single out India," the ministry said.
It said the EU conducted €67.5 billion ($78 billion) in trade with Russia in 2024, including record imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) reaching 16.5 million tonnes.
The United States, the statement said, continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for use in its nuclear power industry, palladium, fertilisers and chemicals. It did not give a source for the export information.
The US embassy and the EU's delegation in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Both the United States and EU have sharply scaled back their trade ties with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In 2021, Russia was the EU's fifth-largest trading partner, with goods exchange worth €258 billion, according to the EU executive European Commission.
Sudden rift
India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up one per cent from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources.
It has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine. New Delhi has resisted, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs.
India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is likely to travel to Russia this week on a scheduled visit, two government sources said. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is expected to visit in the coming weeks.
The sudden rift between India and the US has been deepening since July 31, when Trump announced the 25 per cent tariff on goods being shipped to the US and for the first time threatened unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil.
Trump has said that from Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end the war with Ukraine.
The trade tensions have caused concern about the potential impact on India's economy.
The equity benchmark BSE Sensex closed down 0.38 per cent, while the rupee dropped 0.17 per cent versus the dollar.
(Reporting by Aftab Ahmed and Nidhi Verma; Editing by Helen Popper)
