Trump threat: India says targeting it is ‘unjustified’ and ‘unreasonable’
New Delhi, Aug 4 (BVI) Hours after Donald Trump vowed to raise tariffs “substantially”, India tonight termed as “unjustified and unreasonable” its targeting by the US and the European Union for importing oil from Russia, since they themselves are trading with the sanctioned country.
It asserted that it, “like any major economy”, will take “all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security”.
“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
He noted that at that time, the United States “actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”
The spokesperson said India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer and “are a necessity compelled by global market situation”.
“However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” he added.
The Spokesperson pointed out that the European Union, in 2024, had a bilateral trade of Euro 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at Euro 17.2 billion in 2023.
“This is significantly more than India’s total trade with Russia that year or subsequently,” he said.
European imports of LNG in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5mn tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21mn tonnes in 2022, Jaiswal said.
Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment, he said.
“Where the United States is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals,” the MEA spokesman said.
“In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” he underlined.
The reaction came hours after Trump said, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They (India) don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA.” (BVI)
