External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets Russian President Vladimir Putin Amid Rising US Pressure on Crude Imports

Key Words:

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 21 August 2025. The meeting was done to reaffirm New Delhi’s strategic ties with Moscow. Even as the United States escalated pressure with steep tariffs and warnings over India’s energy trade with Russia.

The high-level meeting was part of preparations for Putin’s upcoming year-end visit to India. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar also held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The meeting was on trade, energy cooperation, and ways to shield the partnership from US penalties.

At a joint press briefing, Jaishankar directly addressed Washington’s criticism of India’s discounted crude imports from Russia. “We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil—that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG—that is the European Union,” he said, adding that India also buys significant volumes of energy from the United States.

The visit came at a time of rising strain in India-US ties after President Donald Trump announced a doubling of tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, including a 25 percent levy linked to New Delhi’s continued Russian crude purchases. Washington has accused India of “profiteering” by reselling discounted Russian oil. And indirectly financing Moscow’s Ukraine war—allegations strongly denied by New Delhi.

See Also: ORF’s Increasing Influence on India’s Foreign Relations Irked MEA Officials, the Think Tank is on Spot for Running a Parallel External Affairs Ministry

Russia moved quickly to assure India of continued cooperation. On 20 August 2025, its embassy in New Delhi said it had activated a “special mechanism” to protect bilateral energy trade. Charge d’Affaires Roman Babushkin dismissed Western criticism as “unjustified” and “neo-colonial.”

India-Russia trade has surged from $13 billion in 2021 to $68 billion in 2024–25, largely fueled by hydrocarbons. However, the boom has sharply widened India’s trade deficit to nearly $59 billion. In Moscow, Jaishankar pressed Russian officials to address tariffs, non-tariff barriers, payment bottlenecks, and the growing imbalance.

He also urged Russia to diversify trade through new connectivity corridors, including the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the Northern Sea Route, and the Chennai–Vladivostok maritime link. Reports of Indians serving in the Russian army were also raised during discussions.

On social media, Jaishankar said he conveyed greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Putin and discussed preparations for the Annual Leaders’ Summit. He added that he appreciated Putin’s perspectives on Ukraine and the global geopolitical situation.

Lavrov hailed the “special strategic partnership” shaped by the leaders of both countries, while Jaishankar described India-Russia ties as “the steadiest among major powers since World War II.” [Rh/Eth/VP]

Also Read: