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Quoting India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Russian news agency Interfax reported that India is eagerly awaiting Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi by the end of this year.
During the meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, both sides highlighted the importance of their mutual relationship.
The U.S. decision to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, effective from August 28, has raised the total tariff on Indian products in the U.S. market to 50%. This move is seen as the biggest crisis in U.S.-India relations since Trump’s return to power in January, threatening India’s access to its largest export market.
In a televised address in Moscow, Shoigu told Doval, “We are committed to jointly working to ensure the supremacy of international law and address modern challenges and threats to build a new, fairer, and more sustainable world order.”
In response, Doval said, “We have established very good relations at present, which we highly value, and there is a strategic partnership between our two countries.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India and China have emerged as the top buyers of Russian crude oil via sea routes. Western countries have taken various measures to pressure Russia’s economy since then. Even before the tariff hike, Trump had threatened action against countries purchasing Russian oil. On Tuesday, the Kremlin accused the U.S. of exerting illegal trade pressure on India, affirming India’s right to trade freely with any country.
Sources from India’s oil industry revealed that due to U.S. threats and reduced discounts on Russian oil, state-owned refineries in India have halted purchases of Russian oil. However, private refineries like Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy remain India’s top buyers of Russian oil.
An Indian government official stated that Doval’s Moscow visit will include discussions on Russian oil purchases and potential defense cooperation. In 2018, India signed a $5.5 billion deal with Russia to purchase five S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to counter threats from China. However, the delivery of these systems has faced multiple delays, with the final two expected in 2026 and 2027. While India has traditionally relied on Russia for arms imports, it has increasingly turned to Western countries in recent years.
