India and Russia, on Tuesday, reaffirmed their strong commitment to deepening bilateral defence cooperation during a high-level meeting between Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin.
According to an official statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defence, Ambassador Kumar held talks with Col-Gen Fomin, who oversees Russia’s international military and defence collaboration.
Enduring Diplomatic Warmth
The meeting, the ministry noted, was conducted in a “warm and friendly atmosphere, customary for Russian-Indian ties,” underscoring the enduring nature of the relationship between the two nations.
“The two sides engaged in a detailed discussion on current issues of bilateral defence cooperation and reiterated their shared intention to further strengthen collaboration in this domain, reflecting the spirit of their particularly privileged strategic partnership,” the statement said.
The diplomatic engagement came against the backdrop of mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose severe sanctions on India over its ongoing imports of crude oil from Russia.
Kremlin Condemns US Threat
Russia on Tuesday accused the United States of applying illegal trade pressure on India following President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to raise tariffs over New Delhi’s Russian oil imports.
“We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to choose for themselves the forms of trade and economic cooperation that are in the interests of a particular country.”
Trump’s Sanctions Threat
Trump has said that from Friday, he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its 3-1/2 year conflict with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled no change in Russia’s stance on the war, despite the looming deadline.
New Delhi Responds
New Delhi has called Trump’s threats “unjustified and unreasonable” and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening a trade rift between the two major economies.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) underscored that India’s energy purchases from Russia are driven by national necessity, aimed at ensuring affordable and reliable fuel access for its population.
“India’s imports are intended to provide predictable and affordable energy to Indian consumers. These are not optional luxuries but necessary responses to international market dynamics. It is ironic that the very countries criticising India continue their own economic engagements with Russia — trade that, unlike India’s, cannot be defended as a pressing national requirement,” the MEA statement read.
Two Indian government sources told Reuters on the weekend that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump’s threats.
(With inputs from IBNS and Reuters)
