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‘India diversifying away from Russian oil’: Trump aide's big claim amid tariff tensions
US trade representative Jamieson Greer said that India is a sovereign country and controls their own decisions.
Amid the US's efforts to pressure India to end its energy trade with Moscow, US President Donald Trump's trade representative Jamieson Greer has claimed that India is already diversifying away from Russian oil.
“The Indians are pragmatic and I think they're already diversifying away from Russian oil,” Greer said at the Economic Club of New York where he spoke about Trump administration's several policy changes, including tariffs and recalibrating relationships with China, Mexico, and Canada.
“India is a sovereign country. They control their own decisions. We aren't trying to dictate their relations with other countries.,” Greer said in conversation with journalist Maria Bartiromo, adding that India is already diversifying away from Russian oil.
Greer's comments come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said that US's move pressure India and China to cut trade ties with Russia could backfire economically.
Putin also said India will suffer if it stops trade with Russia. “If India refuses our energy supplies, it will suffer a certain loss ... of course, the people of a country like India, believe me, will closely monitor the decisions made by the political leadership and will never allow any humiliation in front of anyone,” he said.
Putin said that refusing Russian oil carries carries domestic political costs "[Indian people] will never allow themselves to be humiliated by anyone. I know Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, he will also not make any such decisions," Putin said at the international Valdai discussion forum in South Russia.
"The losses faced by India due to punitive US tariffs would be balanced by crude imports from Russia, plus it will gain prestige as a sovereign nation," he added.
Putin also stressed the importance of India-Russia ties and said: "People in India do not forget about this and our relations, I believe. Some 15 years ago, we made an announcement about a privileged strategic partnership, and that is the best description. Prime Minister Modi is a very wise leader who thinks first about his country".
Trump administration imposed a total of 50% tariffs on India, half of which were additional penalties for its continued oil trade with Russia, which the US said was funding the Ukraine war. White House had said that the sanctions were put in place to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The additional tariffs took effect on August 27.
Ever since, there has been a turnaround of ties between India and the US with a positive exchange between Donald Trump and PM Modi.
