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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that the United States did not ask India to stop buying Russian oil in private discussions until President Donald Trump began publicly criticising New Delhi’s energy trade.
The comments came amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Washington after the Trump administration on August 6 doubled the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine.
A 25% tariff has already come into effect, with another 25% due to be enforced from Wednesday.
Trump has repeatedly alleged that India’s imports were “fuelling the war machine”.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Jaishankar said that Trump’s criticism of India’s trade in Russian oil marked a departure from the earlier position of US officials, who in 2022 had encouraged New Delhi’s purchases to help stabilise global energy prices.
Jaishankar added: “After January [when Trump was sworn in], there were no conversations with the current administration saying: Don’t do that [buy Russian oil].”
The external affairs minister also listed three main friction points in India-US relations: trade negotiations, Russian energy purchases and American claims of mediating between India and Pakistan.
On trade, he said India would not compromise on core principles. “Where we are concerned, the red lines are primarily the interests of our farmers and of our small producers,” he said.
He also talked about the US’ inconsistency in targeting India while sparing China and the European Union. “When people say we are funding the war or putting money in the coffers of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, Russia-EU trade is bigger than India-Russia trade,” Jaishankar said.
On the question of US mediation in India-Pakistan relations, Jaishankar said: “For more than 50 years now, there is a national consensus in this country that we do not accept mediation in our relations with Pakistan.”
While acknowledging that American leaders reached out to India after Operation Sindoor, he said this could not be equated with mediation.
Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it said were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The operation was in response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he helped India and Pakistan settle the tensions.
The US president has also claimed that he pressured both countries into accepting the ceasefire by threatening to stop trade with them.
New Delhi has rejected these assertions.
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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