On August 5, 2025, Russia's Foreign Ministry, represented by spokesperson Maria Zakharova, delivered a forceful response to recent US tariff increases and sanctions, which Moscow views as part of a wider US “neo-colonial” strategy intended to maintain its waning dominance on the world stage.

Zakharova framed these actions as an attack on the sovereignty of independent countries—particularly those in the Global South and major partners like Brazil—asserting that such measures are “politically motivated economic pressure” imposed against nations that refuse to align with Washington.

Zakharova described sanctions and protectionist policies as the “defining feature of the current historical period,” impacting countries globally. She argued the US is unable to accept its declining control in what she termed an “emerging multipolar international order.”

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the shift from previously championed free trade to “politically driven protectionism” and “arbitrary imposition of tariff barriers” is not only an attempt at economic coercion but runs counter to international norms and free-market principles that Western nations once advocated.

Russia specifically highlighted Brazil as a “main victim” of these US policies, underlining the wider impact on supply chains and global economic growth.

Zakharova emphasised that such actions fragment the economic system and interfere directly in the internal affairs of sovereign states, both in Latin America and other regions.

She reiterated that Moscow is supported by “a vast number of partners, like-minded states, and allies, particularly among the countries of the Global South and, above all, within BRICS, who share this perspective.”

She affirmed Russia’s readiness to deepen cooperation with these partners to resist what it calls “unlawful unilateral sanctions” and to contribute to a genuinely multipolar, just, and equitable international order.

Following new US tariffs, Russia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with BRICS and Global South nations as a strategic counter to Western pressures. This marks a clear diplomatic shift toward building coalitions aimed at diluting the effects of sanctions and circumventing US-led economic isolation efforts.

In parallel, US President Donald Trump, in a direct comment targeting India, threatened to “substantially raise” tariffs on Indian goods as a punitive measure for its continued purchase and resale of Russian oil. Trump alleged that India’s trade was providing Moscow with excessive profits and accused India of disregarding the human cost of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded by defending its policies as an exercise of sovereign rights, emphasising that its energy imports from Russia are driven by domestic necessity—to ensure predictable, affordable energy for its people.

The MEA labelled Western criticisms as “unjustified and unreasonable,” making clear that India would act to safeguard its national interests and economic security, even in the face of mounting Western pressure.

In summation, Russia’s latest statements crystallise its stance that sanctions and tariff wars, regardless of scale, are incapable of halting what it characterises as the “natural course of history”—namely, the movement toward a multipolar global system.

Moscow casts itself, and its network in BRICS and the Global South, as at the forefront of resistance to Western “unlawful, unilateral” actions. Russia’s rhetoric and strategy are underpinned by a push for deeper multilateral cooperation, rejection of US economic coercion, and advocacy for an international order based on equality and sovereignty.

India’s official posture, meanwhile, underscores a growing alignment among major non-Western powers in opposing what they describe as unfair political and economic pressures—suggesting an entrenched divergence from US and EU expectations regarding compliance with sanctions regimes.

Based On ANI Report