India gave a message to further strengthen their relationship with Russia on Thursday (August 21, 2025). Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and insisted on increasing bilateral trade. The meeting took place when the US has imposed heavy punitive tariffs on India due to buying oil from Russia.

S Jaishankar meets Putin
Jaishankar held a courtesy call to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. During this time, the two leaders discussed bilateral trade, energy cooperation and strategic partnership. India made it clear that Russia is one of its oldest and trusted colleagues.

Conversation with Lavrov
Before meeting Putin, Jaishankar interacted with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The two leaders also held press briefing. When Jaishankar was asked about the tariff imposed by the US, he said that India is unable to understand American argument.

America’s tariff strike
During the tenure of US President Donald Trump, 25% tariff has been imposed on India so far and an additional 25% punitive fee is going to be implemented soon. The US alleges that India has greatly increased oil imports from Russia after the Ukraine War and has also made a profit by “resale”.

Comparison of India and China
India is currently the second largest country to import oil from Russia, while China is ranked first. Despite this, America did not impose any such restrictions on China. On this, the US Treasury Secretary said that China did not increase its imports as fast as India has done.

Jaishankar’s answer
Jaishankar dismissed the American argument, saying, “Americans themselves told us that we should buy oil from Russia to keep the global energy market stable. We also buy oil from America and there has been a steady increase in that purchase. So we do not understand this argument at all.”

India’s independent policy
The Modi government is constantly advocating strong relations with Russia and is also working on normalizing relations with China. It is an indication that India is adamant on its independent foreign policy despite American pressure.

Modi-Putin Dialogue
Recently, after the meeting of US President Trump and Putin, Putin spoke to Prime Minister Modi over the phone. In this conversation, Modi described Putin as a “friend” and the two leaders decided to maintain close contact. Modi once again said that India constantly wants a peaceful solution to Ukraine war.