NEW DELHI: Lauding the longstanding relationship between India and Russia, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the partnership as “steady and time-tested.”
Addressing the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Jaiswal emphasized that India’s relations with any country are guided by their own merits and should not be viewed through the lens of a third party.
Responding to a question on whether India is considering a shift in its engagement with Russia, he said:
“Our ties with any country, or all the ties that we have with various countries, stand on their own merit and should not be seen through the prism of a third country. As far as India-Russia relations are concerned, we have a steady and time-tested partnership.”
His remarks came less than 24 hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described India’s continued purchase of Russian oil as a “point of irritation” in the US-India relationship, despite their broader strategic ties. India has continued buying Russian oil since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Rubio’s comments followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff and additional penalties on Indian imports, citing India’s trade relations with Russia and high trade barriers.
“India has huge energy needs, and that includes the ability to buy oil, coal, gas, and other resources necessary to power its economy—just like every country does. It buys oil from Russia because Russian oil is sanctioned and often sold below global prices due to those sanctions. Unfortunately, that is helping to sustain the Russian war effort. So yes, it is certainly a point of irritation in our relationship with India,” Rubio added.
