India has openly defended its oil trade with Russia after US President Donald Trump accused New Delhi of making money from discounted Russian oil and warned of higher tariffs. The Ministry of External Affairs hit back strongly with a statement late Monday night, saying that India is buying oil to make energy more affordable for its people. It also called out criticism from the US and EU as “unjustified and unreasonable.”
Statement by Official Spokesperson⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/O2hJTOZBby pic.twitter.com/RTQ2beJC0W— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 4, 2025
‘Necessity compelled by global market situation’: India explains its position on Russian oil
India started importing more oil from Russia because its usual suppliers had redirected their oil to Europe during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During that period, the MEA said that the US had even encouraged India to do so, saying it would help maintain market stability and global energy.
The MEA also stated that India’s oil imports are not a matter of choice, but of need. They help keep energy prices stable and affordable for Indian citizens. These decisions are made based on the changing global market situation. MEA further added that it is “revealing” how the very countries blaming India, like the US and EU, are also doing business with Russia. The statement clearly stated that in their case, this trade is not even essential or urgent for national needs, unlike India.
MEA points fingers at US, EU
Last year, the EU traded €67.5 billion worth of goods with Russia and in 2023, its trade with Russia was valued at €17.2 billion. The MEA said that this was far higher in cost as compared to India’s total trade with Russia. Also last year, the EU imported around 16.5 million tonnes of LNG from Russia, which was more than what they imported in 2022.
The EU’s trade in fact is not just about oil and gas, but also fertilizers, chemicals, steel, machinery, and mining goods. The US also continues to import Russian uranium, palladium, fertilizers, and chemicals. The MEA said that given these facts, blaming India is neither fair nor reasonable, and that as a major economy, India will always do what is needed to protect its “national interest and economic security”.
A strong stance amid Trump’s tariff threats
India’s response came after Trump took to Truth Social on Monday and said that he would sharply increase tariffs on Indian goods. He accused India of making large profits by buying discounted Russian oil and selling it in the global market, while ignoring the suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.
Trump claimed that India was purchasing huge amounts of oil from Russia and then reselling a part of it for profit. He also said that India was not concerned about the lives lost in Ukraine due to the war. As a result, he announced plans to raise tariffs on Indian products entering the US.
India, however, has once again made it clear that there will be no sudden stop in importing oil from Russia. A MEA official had said that these are long-term agreements and cannot be ended overnight. According to reports, from January to June this year, India imported about 1.75 million barrels of oil per day from Russia , which is a small rise compared to the same period last year, according to data from Reuters.