New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday delivered a blunt rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s new sanctions on India for importing Russian oil, saying New Delhi would not compromise its energy security under foreign pressure.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar said Trump’s foreign policy style was a “major departure” from the traditional American approach. But he didn’t mince words when asked about allegations that India was profiting from Russian crude.
Speaking with @pranabsamanta at the #ETWorldLeadersForum@EconomicTimes
https://t.co/6rSbrBqRCI— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 23, 2025
“It’s funny to have a pro-business administration accusing others of doing business,” he quipped. “If you don’t want to buy oil or refined products from India, then don’t buy it. Nobody is forcing you. But Europe buys, America buys — so if you don’t like it, don’t buy it.”
On the ongoing India–US trade talks, Jaishankar clarified that negotiations hadn’t collapsed but stressed that India had “red lines” to protect farmers and small producers. “We are committed to defending their interests. That is non-negotiable,” he said.
The Trump administration, once seen as India-friendly, has now slapped a double 25% tariff—one over India’s high duties on American goods and another targeting its Russian oil imports. The fresh tariff is set to take effect on August 27, 2025.
Jaishankar expressed surprise at Washington’s stance, pointing out that India had also increased oil imports from the US itself. “We are not the biggest buyers of Russian oil — that’s China. We are not the largest LNG importers — that’s the EU. And we don’t have the biggest trade surge with Russia post-2022. Yet India is being singled out,” he argued.
The minister underlined that India’s energy choices were guided by national interest and global stability, not political pressure. “For years, Americans urged us to help stabilise global energy markets, including through Russian supplies. Now the same thing is being used against us,” he said, terming the logic “perplexing.”
With Trump doubling down on tariffs and India refusing to yield, the standoff signals a sharper strain in India–US ties, once hailed as a defining partnership of the 21st century.
