"Perplexed At Logic": S Jaishankar On US Tariff Over Purchase Of Russian Oil

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar at a bilateral meet with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said that India is "perplexed" at Washington's logic about New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. The Foreign Minister made a sharp observation and said that "Americans have said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia".

The statement comes amid Mr Jaishankar's visit to Moscow, to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Russia.

Moscow | During a press briefing, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says, "...We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge… pic.twitter.com/pbH06HtTwK

— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025

Responding to a question, Mr Jaishankar remarked that India is not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil, it is China. Moreover, European Union is the biggest purchaser of LNG and not India.

The United States has slapped 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India, along with an additional 25 per cent levy on its purchases of Russian oil, resulting in a total of 50 per cent duties. US President Donald Trump had been putting pressure on India to stop buying oil from Russia, claiming that it fuelled the Ukraine war.

However, US has not yet imposed tariffs on China over its Russian oil imports. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent had justified the disparity by saying that India had increased its import hugely after the commencement of the war, unlike China, and accused India of "profiteering by reselling" the oil.

Mr Jaishankar moves on to point, "We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries to the South."

At the start of the press briefing, Mr Jaishankar underlined that India and Russia have been "the steadiest of the major relationships" after World War 2. He also asserted that "sustaining energy cooperation through trade and investments" with Russia is important for New Delhi.

He further played up how the defence and military technical cooperation between the two countries also "remains robust", adding, "Russia supports India's 'Make in India' goals, including joint production and technology transfer".

India has defended its oil purchase from Russia as a move driven by sovereign factors, such as market conditions, availability, and its national interest.