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Category: International Relations
Tags: diplomacyIndiaoiltariffsUS
Entities: Donald TrumpIndiaJD VanceNikki HaleyPrime Minister ModiS. JaishankarShanghai Cooperation OrganizationUnited StatesVine KumarVladimir PutinXi Jinping
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[Music] The battle over Russian oil is heating up. What began as a trade dispute has turned into a full-blown diplomatic
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duel. India is now sending a blunt message to Washington.
The latest to Wayne is India's ambassador to Russia. His name is Vine Kumar.
He gave an interview to Russian news agency TAS and made India's position clear. India will buy oil from wherever it gets the best
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deal. In the same breath, Ambassador Kumar took a swipe at the US.
First of all, we have clearly stated that our objective is energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. So the US decision is unfair, unreasonable and unjustified.
Now government will
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continue taking measures which will protect the national interest of the country and the trade takes place on commercial basis. So if the basis of commercial transaction trade imports are right, Indian companies will continue buying from wherever they get the best deal.
The US tariffs are unfair, unreasonable
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and unjustified. India buys oil based on market terms, not politics.
And above all, India's energy security is non-negotiable. That's what the Indian ambassador said.
And this has been New Delhi's position from day one. But now the tone has
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shifted. The message is sharper.
India is not mincing words and the timing is no coincidence. Donald Trump's deadline is just two days away.
On the 27th of August, the higher US tariffs will come into effect. Another 25% duty will kick
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in on Indian exports, which takes the total tariff burden on India to 50% 50. It's the highest rate the US has imposed in any country.
Higher than what China faces, higher than what any US ally faces. And that is the double standard that India is calling out because
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remember India is not the biggest buyer of Russian oil that is China and this is where New Delhi is drawing the line. Foreign Minister SJ Shankar made that clear over the weekend.
You know in a way is being presented as an oil issue.
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uh but why I say it's being presented is because uh the same arguments which have been used to target India have not been uh used to have not been applied to the largest oil importer which is China has
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not been applied to the largest LNG importer which is the European Union. J Shanker said India is still negotiating with the US but it has clear red lines to defend.
He assured that farmers and small businesses will be protected. He reiterated India's position on Russian oil and said that
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India's energy policy serves national interest and helps keep global prices stable. J Shanka also took an aim at the US administration and western oil buyers.
Listen to this. Uh it's funny you have uh people who
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work for a a pro business American administration accusing other people of doing business. Okay, that's that's really uh uh curious.
But here's the point. If you
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have a problem buying uh oil from India, oil or refined products, don't buy it. Nobody forced you to bite.
I mean, but Europe buys, America buys. So, you don't like it, don't buy.
So, New Delhi is standing its ground.
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This has led to fresh attacks from the Republicans and the US government. And among them is Nikki Haley.
Remember, she was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations in the last term. She has written an opinion piece for Newsweek, which is an American news magazine.
And in this piece, Nikki Haley has said, and
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I'm quoting, "In India must take Trump's point over Russian oil seriously." Those were her words. She said that India should work with the White House and find a solution soon.
She called India a prized democratic partner and said that the US should not treat India like an
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adversary. Remember last week the same Nikki Haley had struck a different note.
She had warned that the US India relationship is at a breaking point and it's critical to get ties back on track if the US wants to keep China in check. So Haley is now recalibrating her
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position. She's tempering her criticism of Donald Trump perhaps and putting the onus on India.
She wants India to change course to bend to US demands and to restrict its trade with Russia. US Vice President JD Vance has also spoken on this.
In an interview, he
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defended the Trump tariffs and he called them aggressive economic leverage. The president has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example, the secondary tariffs on India to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy.
He's tried
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to make it clear that Russia can be reinvited into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they're going to continue to be isolated if they don't stop the killing.
JD van said that these tariffs are part of Trump's strategy to isolate Moscow from the global economy,
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but they're having the opposite effect. In just a few days from now, Prime Minister Modi will travel to China.
He's attending the SEO summit. The SEO is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
It is a block of Eurasian nations. Leaders from China, Russia, and Central Asia will attend.
So, Xi Jinping
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will be there. So will Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reports say Prime Minister Modi could meet both these leaders on the sidelines of the summit. In fact, ahead of the summit, there's been intense diplomatic activity.
China's foreign minister Wongi visited India. Soon after that, SJ Shankar
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traveled to Moscow and before him, National Security Adviser Rajid Dawal was also in Russia. So, India is clearly stepping up its engagements with both Russia and China.
The SEO summit will be the culmination of those efforts. The next few days are going to be very crucial.
But New Delhi's position has
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already been spelled out. India will not change course over Trump tariffs.
It will not trade strategic autonomy for America's approval.