Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has hit out at Washington’s tariff rhetoric, arguing that pressure tactics will not succeed against “ancient civilisations” like India and China. He stressed that the two nations cannot be coerced into altering policies through ultimatums or sanctions.
Speaking on Russia’s Channel 1 TV programme ‘The Great Game,’ Lavrov said the United States was making demands on countries such as India and China to stop buying Russian energy was pushing them further away. “It forces them to look for new energy markets, new resources, and forces them to pay more,” Lavrov said.
The remarks come as US President Donald Trump and his administration seems to have softened their rhetoric against India regarding the tariffs imposed by the US. During his recent visit to the United Kingdom, Trump highlighted his “good relationship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he is “very close to India and PM Modi”.
India In The Spotlight Over Russian Oil
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump and his officials have openly criticised India for purchasing Russian oil. The US has alleged that New Delhi is indirectly funding the war in Ukraine — a claim India firmly denies. India has consistently defended its energy imports, calling them a matter of national interest and driven by market dynamics. It has also described Washington’s criticism as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
Lavrov took sharp aim at US threats of tariffs and sanctions, noting the deep historical and political roots of countries like India and China. “Both China and India are ancient civilisations, and to use this language with them, ‘either stop doing what I don’t like, or I’ll impose tariffs on you,’ well, that won’t work,” he remarked.
Russia Unfazed By US Sanctions
Addressing concerns about mounting restrictions from the West, Lavrov said Moscow was already accustomed to such measures. “Frankly speaking, I don’t see any problem with the new sanctions imposed on Russia. An enormous amount of sanctions, unprecedented for that period, were imposed during President Donald Trump’s first term,” he said.
He added that Russia had learned to adapt to Western policies. “We have started to draw conclusions from the situation when the West imposed these sanctions. Later, during President Joe Biden’s term, sanctions were used as a replacement for any diplomatic effort. There was no search for a compromise,” the minister added.
Although the Trump administration has not yet imposed tariffs on Beijing over its Russian oil purchases, the US president has continued to advocate for such steps.
Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in July. A few days later, he imposed another 25 per cent tariff, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil.
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