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Jaishankar meets Putin as India stresses Russia ties amid Trump tariff tension
Jaishankar earlier held talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov; at briefing after it, asked about tariffs, he questioned the very logic behind US ‘penalty’ move
Foreign minister minister S Jaishankar called on Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday as India stressed the importance of bilateral trade between the long-time partners, even as the US has imposed penal tariffs on India for buying oil from Russia despite the war in Ukraine.
Jaishankar earlier held talks with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov. At the press briefing after it, when asked about the US tariffs, he questioned the logic of the Americans' argument.
The Modi government has been stressing its ties with Russia, and working mutually on a thaw with neighbour China, ever since President Donald Trump singled India out for the highest tariffs the US has imposed as part of its new, inward-looking trade and foreign policy.
Before going to Russia, Jaishankar met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in New Delhi.
So far, 25% tariffs on Indian exports to the US have come into effect, with another 25% as “penalty” set to kick in later this month.
Also read | India's balancing act: Modi lauds ‘friend’ Putin, boosts China ties
India is second to China in terms of oil imports from Russia, but the US has not imposed similar sanctions on China yet.
Justifying that, the US treasury secretary recently said that was because India, unlike China, increased its Russian import hugely after the war and has been “profiteering by reselling” the oil.
Jaishankar addressed this in an answer to a reporters' question at the joint briefing with Lavrov: “We are a country where the Americans have said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia. Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument that you (the media) had referred to.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent praise for Vladimir Putin, and Delhi's renewed engagement with Beijing are signs that India is tilting away from the US in the face of the unprecedented tariff hikes.
In a phone call from Putin, after his crucial summit with US President Donald Trump in a bid to end the war in Ukraine, PM Modi described the Russian leader as a “friend". The two agreed to keep close contact, with Modi reaffirming that “India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict".
