Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Faced with Trump’s new pricing threats, India confirms its determination to continue its imports of Russian oil. While Washington tries to impose its line on other nations, New Delhi, with the clear support of Russia and China, reaffirms its strategic independence and rejects the pressures from the United States.
US President Donald Trump has announced that he wanted to increase customs duties on imports from India in the coming 24 hours. He criticizes New Delhi for continuing to buy Russian oil, believing that this “feeds the war economy” from Moscow. In an interview with CNBC on August 5, he said: “We agreed by 25 %, but I will increase them sharply because they buy Russian oil”.
Trump also accused India of taking advantage of significant discounts on Russian crude to resell it for the benefit, and brandished the threat of secondary sanctions if the country did not change its energy policy. This attitude provoked a strong reaction from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which denounced “unjustified and unreasonable” criticisms, stressing that “like any great economy, India will take all the necessary measures to defend its national interests and economic security”.
For his part, Dmitri Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, reacted by declaring the same day that “attempts to force countries to stop shopping with Russia are illegal”. He said that “sovereign states have the right to choose their freely business partners”. India continues its imports of Russian oil facts on the ground show that American threats have no concrete effect.
The Times of India revealed that companies Nayara Energy and Reliance Industries recently received 2.2 million barrels of Russian oil. Nayara Energy, 49 % of which belong to Rosneft, even exported 43,000 tonnes of fuel to Oman on August 4, despite Western sanctions. New Delhi is not alone. Beijing has also rejected American requirements. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “China will always ensure its energy supply according to its national interests” and that “coercion and pressure will not give any results”.
In the Indian media, the position of Washington and the Trump administration is perceived as incoherent, as on many other geopolitical subjects. They recall that the United States itself continues to import uranium and other Russian resources, and that it had initially encouraged India to buy Russian oil to avoid a shock on the world markets. National support in New Delhi and Washington isolation in India, Trump’s threats were firmly welcomed by the government and the opposition. MP Manish Tiwari judged that “Trump’s behavior insults the dignity of 1.4 billion Indians”.
India is today the world’s leading buyer in Russian oil transported by sea, with an average of 1.75 million barrels per day since January. Trade between Russia and India has reached a record of $ 68.7 billion over one year. Despite American threats, deliveries are continuing, and India reaffirms its strategic links with Russia. As a large Indian television channel sums up: “Donald Trump can scare his European and Canadian allies, but with the great world powers, it does not work. India does not play according to Trump’s rules ”.