• Source:JND
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The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday dismissed any notion of strain in India-Russia relations following sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who questioned the economic and strategic partnership between the two nations. "Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be viewed through the prism of a third country. India and Russia share a steady and time-tested partnership," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, addressing media queries at the weekly briefing on Friday.

Responding to a media query on Trump's remark regarding India's Defence procurement from Russia, Jaiswal said, "The sourcing of Defence requirements is determined solely by our national security imperatives and strategic assessments. Similarly, for sourcing of our energy needs, we are guided by what is available in the market and by prevailing global circumstances..."

What Trump said 

The statement from MEA came a day after Trump mounted a sharp attack on India and Russia for their close ties and said that the two countries can take their "dead economies down together". The US president's fresh criticism of New Delhi and Moscow came hours after announcing 25 per cent tariffs against India, plus a "penalty" for its trade with Russia.
"I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care," he said.

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"We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," he added.

Trump's tariff war

Trump on Wednesday announced the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment. The surprise announcement came a day after Indian officials said that a US trade team would visit from August 25 to negotiate a trade deal.

The announcement is being seen as a pressure tactic to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US, which has, in recent days, got favourable trade deals with major partners like Japan, the UK and the European Union.

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Trump termed India's trade policies as "most strenuous and obnoxious". "All things not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August first," Trump said in a social media post. The penalty was announced as India has made large purchases of oil and military equipment from Russia. India is the first country to face a penalty for Russian imports.

India-Russia oil trade

India's import of crude oil from Russia has risen from 0.2 per cent of total purchases before the Russia-Ukraine war to 35-40 per cent. New Delhi is the largest buyer of Russian oil after China.
Trump said though India is America's friend, "We have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their (India) tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country".

He said India has always purchased a significant amount of military equipment and energy products from Russia at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the "killing" in Ukraine. 

(With inputs from agency)