Indian Foreign Minister Criticizes Tariffs on Russian Oil Imports
(MENAFN) Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has strongly criticized the United States for what he perceives as discriminatory trade practices, specifically targeting India.
Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave on Sunday, Jaishankar condemned the imposition of a 25% penalty tariff on Indian imports of Russian oil, labeling the action as “unfair.”
He claimed that the U.S. was “picking on” India despite similar actions by other nations.
Jaishankar addressed an audience of policy analysts and urged both New Delhi and Washington to work toward a shared “landing ground” in order to resolve ongoing trade tensions.
He pointed out that India has long-standing “issues” with the U.S. concerning commercial policies, and emphasized the importance of dialogue to bridge these differences.
He further explained that India views the second U.S. tariff—imposed due to New Delhi’s continued energy trade with Moscow—as particularly unjust.
“There is a second tariff which we have publicly said we regard as very unfair, which has picked on us for sourcing energy from Russia when there are other countries that have done so, including countries that right now have a far more antagonistic relationship with Russia than we do,” Jaishankar remarked.
The United States began enforcing these additional duties in August, following an earlier 25% tariff introduced after failed trade negotiations between the two countries.
Despite these pressures, India has maintained its imports of Russian oil, which remains a key element of its energy strategy.
Since 2022, Russia has emerged as India's top supplier of crude oil.
According to figures from analytics firm Kpler, as of September, Russian oil made up approximately 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of India’s total supply, representing a substantial 34% share of the country’s oil imports.
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