S. Jaishankar rebukes the USA over its double standards on the import of Russian oil and tariffs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in Moscow, expressed surprise at US punitive tariffs on Indian oil imports from Russia. He highlighted that China and EU are larger buyers and stressed India’s decisions are based on national interest.

New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar gave his reaction to the punitive tariffs imposed by the US on India during an important meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on August 21, 2025. The US has imposed this tariff on India on the basis that India is buying oil from Russia.

Eye Opener to the USA

Dr. Jaishankar expressed deep surprise at this argument. He clarified that India is neither Russia's largest oil buyer nor the largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) buyer. Russia's largest oil customer is China, while the largest LNG customers are the countries of the European Union. He also pointed out that after 2022, the highest trade growth with Russia has been not of India, but of some other countries.

Why did the US not impose any such tariffs on China?

Jaishankar raised an important question: Why did the US not impose any such tariffs on China?

He said that the reason given by the US Treasury Secretary for imposing tariffs on India is that India increased oil imports from Russia after the war started and made profits by reselling it.

Jaishankar said on this that this argument is strange because the US itself has been telling India for the last several years that it should help keep the global energy market stable, which also includes buying oil from Russia.

Also, India also buys oil from America, and its quantity has also increased. In this meeting, Jaishankar also emphasized the strong and stable relations between India and Russia.

He said that the cooperation between the two countries in energy cooperation, trade, investment, defense, and military technology is very strong. He also said that Russia cooperates in India's 'Make in India' program.

Camaraderie of Russia and India

Finally, the two ministers discussed improving the balance of trade. India wants to remove this imbalance by increasing its exports to Russia in sectors like agriculture, medicine, and textiles. Jaishankar clarified that India's purchase of oil from Russia is based solely on national interest, availability of oil, and low prices, and not on any political agenda.

Prime Minister Modi has been constantly appealing to end the war through dialogue.