⛽️ The Double Standard: Putin Challenges Trump Tariffs, Asks Why US Can Buy Russian Fuel But India Cannot
Russian President Calls Out ‘Hypocrisy’ on Nuclear Fuel Trade, Vows to Discuss Punitive Duties on India with US Leadership.
Putin Calls Out the ‘Double Standard’ on Russian Fuel Trade
Russian President Vladimir Putin has directly challenged the United States’ policy of imposing penalising tariffs on India for its purchase of discounted Russian crude oil, pointing to a glaring contradiction in Washington’s own energy dealings with Moscow. Speaking in an exclusive interview ahead of his two-day visit to New Delhi, Putin highlighted that the US continues to purchase nuclear fuel (uranium) from Russia for its own power plants—a fact he used to question the fairness of the pressure exerted on India.
“The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants. That is also fuel. Energy,” Putin stated. He then asked rhetorically, “If the US has the right to purchase fuel from us, why should India be deprived of such a right?”
This pointed question frames the issue not as one of political alignment, but of commercial fairness and national sovereignty. The statement offers strong diplomatic backing to New Delhi, which has maintained that its decision to import Russian crude oil is driven by purely economic logic to secure affordable energy for its fast-growing economy, a core element of its independent foreign policy.
Trump Tariffs and the Geopolitical Backdrop
The Russian President’s remarks come at a time when the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, has escalated pressure on India. In August, the US imposed an additional 25% tariff on a wide range of Indian exports, compounding an existing reciprocal duty to reach a punishing 50% duty on a significant portion of Indian goods. The move was widely interpreted as a direct response to India’s substantial increase in Russian oil imports following Western sanctions imposed after the Ukraine conflict.
Putin has pledged to raise the issue directly with the US leadership, signalling a united front between Moscow and New Delhi on defending sovereign economic decisions. He emphasised that Russia remains a reliable and uninterrupted supplier of energy to India, stressing that the partnership is anchored in long-standing mutual benefit, not “fleeting political swings.” This position reinforces the narrative that the US is using trade tariffs as a geopolitical weapon to dictate the energy choices of sovereign nations.
India’s Stance and Future Trade Strategy
For India, the trade relationship with Russia, particularly in the energy and defence sectors, is a vital pillar of its strategic autonomy. While the US tariffs have already begun to impact Indian exports to America, New Delhi has labelled the punitive measures as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”
The ongoing high-level summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin is expected to focus on insulating bilateral trade from external pressures. Discussions are centered on developing new international logistics routes, expanding cooperation in advanced energy technologies, and diversifying trade beyond the traditional defence and energy segments to address the current trade imbalance. The debate over Russian fuel imports and US tariffs underscores the growing complexity for non-aligned global powers like India as they navigate an increasingly fractured global economic order.