On August 1, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India reaffirmed the country’s enduring and strategic partnership with Russia, describing it as “steady and time-tested,” amidst mounting criticism from the United States over India’s ongoing imports of discounted Russian oil.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during the weekly media briefing, highlighted that India’s bilateral relationships are founded solely on their own intrinsic merits and should not be interpreted through the lens of other countries or geopolitical pressures.

This statement came as a direct response to recent comments from prominent U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio, who criticised India for continuing to procure Russian energy resources despite Western sanctions imposed on Russia following the Ukraine conflict.

The U.S. criticisms escalated after Trump announced a retaliatory tariff of 25% on Indian goods that would come into effect starting August 8, citing India’s ongoing Russian oil imports and military procurement as motivations behind the punitive trade measure.

Senator Rubio described India’s Russian oil purchases as a "point of irritation" in U.S.-India relations, arguing that these transactions could indirectly finance the ongoing war in Ukraine. In this climate of diplomatic strain, Jaiswal firmly maintained that India’s energy procurement decisions are driven by market conditions and the national interest, emphasising that the Indian government had no knowledge of any current moves by Indian oil companies to halt or pause imports from Russia.

The MEA’s clear message sought to differentiate India’s independent foreign policy and economic decisions from external pressures, asserting that pragmatic considerations steer India’s strategic partnerships. Jaiswal also took time to underscore the enduring strength and resilience of India’s relationship with the United States.

He stressed that the India-U.S. partnership is deeply rooted in shared democratic values, global strategic interests, and robust people-to-people connections, making it resilient enough to withstand external challenges and political fluctuations.

According to him, India remains fully committed to advancing the substantial agenda mutually agreed upon with the United States, confident that the bilateral relationship will continue on a positive trajectory despite current disagreements.

In parallel, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal informed Parliament earlier in the week that the government was carefully evaluating the impact of the newly imposed U.S. tariffs on Indian exports and indicated that all necessary measures to safeguard India’s national interests would be undertaken.

This response symbolises India’s balanced approach in managing its delicate geopolitical relationships — maintaining its strategic ties with Russia while simultaneously nurturing and prioritising its comprehensive global partnership with the United States.

The MEA’s stance illustrates India’s commitment to an autonomous foreign policy, one driven by national interest and pragmatic evaluation rather than external pressures or unilateral alignments. It reflects India’s broader diplomatic objective of maintaining diverse international partnerships while managing the complexities of global politics, especially in an era marked by geopolitical tensions between major powers.

Based On ANI Report