India Hits Back at Trump and EU Criticism Over Russian Oil Imports.
Hours after former US President Donald Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on India for continuing to import oil from Russia amid the Ukraine war, New Delhi issued a sharp rebuttal, accusing both the US and the European Union of hypocrisy.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the criticism directed at India was “unjustified and unreasonable,” especially given the continued and substantial trade that the West itself maintains with Moscow.
India defended its Russian oil purchases as a necessary economic step, taken in response to a global energy crisis that followed the Ukraine conflict. The MEA recalled that when India increased oil imports from Russia, the move had tacit support from the West, including the United States, as a means to help stabilise global energy markets after traditional suppliers redirected their exports toward Europe.
“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs for Indian consumers,” the MEA said. “They are a necessity, driven by the global market situation. It is telling that the very nations now criticising us continue their own trade with Russia—without facing the same scrutiny. Unlike India, their trade is not even based on essential national needs.”
The ministry highlighted that in 2024, the EU’s trade with Russia far exceeded India’s total trade volume with Moscow during the same period. It also pointed out that the US continues to import strategic materials from Russia, including uranium hexafluoride for nuclear energy, palladium for electric vehicles, fertilisers, and various chemicals.
Trump’s provocative remarks came via a post on Truth Social, where he accused India of buying “massive amounts” of Russian oil and claimed the country was indifferent to the suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said this would lead him to “substantially raise the tariff paid by India to the USA” if elected again.
India’s foreign ministry, however, stressed that the country’s policy decisions—including energy imports—are based on national interest and economic security. “New Delhi will always act in accordance with its strategic priorities,” the MEA said, rejecting any attempt to single out India while ignoring the broader context of global trade realities.
India has consistently maintained that its foreign policy is independent and rooted in pragmatism. In an era of volatile markets and shifting alliances, New Delhi insists that energy security is not up for negotiation.
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