Russia, India talk up ‘strategic partnership’
MOSCOW: Russia and India stressed their commitment to a “strategic partnership” in bilateral security talks in Moscow on Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on imports from India because of its purchases of Russian oil.
Interfax news agency quoted Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval as saying that New Delhi was looking forward to a visit from President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year.
At Doval’s meeting with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, both sides emphasised the importance of the countries’ relations.
Trump’s imposition of an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, coming into force on August 28, signals the most serious downturn in U.S.-India relations since his return to office in January, threatening to disrupt India’s access to its largest export market.
“We are committed to further active cooperation in order to form a new, more just and sustainable world order, ensure the supremacy of international law, and jointly combat modern challenges and threats,” Shoigu told Doval in televised comments.
Interfax quoted Doval as saying: “We have now established very good relations, which we value very much, a strategic partnership between our countries”.
India and China have become the top buyers of Russian seaborne crude oil since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, precipitating Western efforts to choke the Russian economy.
Trump had threatened measures against countries buying Russian oil before he announced the new tariff on Indian goods, which raised the total duty to 50%. Agencies
