Russia hails Modi government’s ‘self-respect’ as India defies Trump’s oil tariffs, says New Delhi 'perfectly capable' of making own decisions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday (Sep 27) strongly backed India's stand on its oil trade policies, as New Delhi continues to push back against steep 50 per cent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Speaking on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly, Lavrov said India was “perfectly capable” of making its own decisions on trade and energy, hailing his counterpart S Jaishankar and praising New Delhi’s “self-respect.” Lavrov insisted that the economic partnership between Russia and India was "not under threat" amid the US tariff row. "The Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made it clear that India chooses its own partners," he said.

India "perfectly capable" of making decisions

Even as the US continues to try to strong-arm India into stopping the purchase of discounted Russian oil — with Trump's White House trade advisor Peter Navarro lashing out at New Delhi at every turn — Lavrov said that the South Asian nation was "perfectly capable" of making its own decisions.

“I’m not even asking what is going to happen to our trade relations, our oil. I don’t ask our Indian colleagues this. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own,” Lavrov said, adding that India had given a “very worthy response” by making clear its oil imports from Russia are independent of its ties with Washington.

He stressed that India’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was guided by national interest and deserved “full respect.” Lavrov also underlined that Russia-India relations go beyond energy, describing the partnership as a “particularly privileged strategic partnership” covering defense, trade, technology, and high-level coordination in forums such as SCO and BRICS.

"We have the utmost respect for India's national interests and the foreign policy that Narendra Modi is implementing to promote these interests. We hold regular contacts at the highest level," he said.

Putin to visit India in December

Lavrov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in December, noting the two leaders’ recent meeting at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China. “We have a very extensive bilateral agenda, trade, military, technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, healthcare, high-tech, artificial intelligence, and of course close coordination at the international level within the SCO, BRICS and bilaterally...,” Lavrov said.

The Russian minister’s remarks come amid US pressure on India, including 25 per cent additional tariffs tied to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil. India has maintained that its energy decisions are driven by market offers and global realities, not external diktats.

Responding to ANI on secondary sanctions, Lavrov reiterated that the economic partnership between India and Russia is "not under threat... The Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made it clear that India chooses its own partners.”