MOSCOW: The Kremlin has strongly criticized US President Donald Trump’s threat to increase tariffs on India due to its purchases of Russian oil, a major revenue source for Moscow amid its military campaign in Ukraine.
Trump has set a Friday deadline for Russia to show progress in peace talks with Ukraine, warning of new economic sanctions, including penalties for nations buying Russian oil and gas.
On Monday, he singled out India, threatening higher tariffs, which New Delhi called “unjustified and unreasonable.”
Russia backed India’s stance on Tuesday. “Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated.
Without directly naming Trump, he dismissed demands to “force countries to sever trading relations” with Russia as “illegitimate.”
Since Russia’s military offensive began in February 2022, Western allies have tried to cripple Moscow’s export earnings.
However, Russia has successfully shifted energy sales from Europe to countries like India and China, maintaining its multibillion-dollar revenue stream.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has not imposed new sanctions on Russia.
He has pushed for direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, but three rounds of negotiations in Istanbul have yielded no significant breakthroughs. - AFP
