Russia has strongly criticised the US for posing threats to its trading partners, with the Russian Foreign Ministry accusing Washington DC of engaging in “neocolonialism” as a means to maintain its global dominance. Commenting on US President Donald John Trump‘s decision to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods (from August 1, 2025), alongside an additional but unspecified “penalty” for its defence and energy imports from Russia; Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stressed: “We firmly believe that no tariff wars or sanctions can halt the natural course of history. We are supported by a vast number of partners, like-minded states and allies, particularly among the countries of the Global South and, above all, within BRICS, who share this perspective.“

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On August 4, 2025, President Trump again threatened to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases. India called his attack “unjustified“, vowing to protect its economic interests. With this, the trade rift between the two countries has deepened further. Later that day, Zakharova described such threats as a “direct interference” in the (economic) sovereignty of other countries. She also advised the US not to interfere in the internal affairs of a country.

For his part, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “We believe that sovereign countries must have and do have the right to choose their trade partners, the partners in trade and economic cooperation, on their own and independently determine those modes of trade and economic cooperation that suit the interests of a country in question.“

Amid tariff war with the US, New Delhi has decided to send a strong message to Washington DC by sending (Indian) External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to Moscow in mid-August 2025. According to sources close to the Government of India, the Modi Administration made the decision soon after President Trump labelled India and Russia as “dead economies” in the last week of July. It may be noted that India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval held talks with senior Russian officials in Moscow on August 6 (2025) mainly to discuss bilateral defence and security cooperation, oil sanctions, and the upcoming Modi-Putin summit. Although Doval’s visit was planned in advance, it has assumed greater significance since it comes amid the heightened tension between India and the US over Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on Indian products over its purchases of Russian oil. With these high-level engagements, India has hinted that it would not abandon Russia despite President Trump’s tariff threat.

A senior Indian official told the Times of India: “We will act in the best interest of Indian consumers and choose the most cost-effective option available. If Russian crude continues to be more affordable than other sources, there is no reason to penalise our citizens.” The official confirmed that the Modi Administration would not scale back crude oil imports from Russia because of President Trump’s mounting pressure.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has claimed that the proposed new US sanctions against Russia “are an extremely unfriendly act and sad news for Russia-US relations“. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the move could affect the entire world. In a statement, the ministry mentioned that the US has pursued neo-colonial policies only to maintain its global dominance and tried to exert political, as well as economic, pressure on those who refuse to adhere to this policy.

Zakharova has made it clear that Russia is ready to further enhance cooperation with friendly nations in an attempt to counter the US’ illegal unilateral sanctions. Russia wants a truly multipolar and fair global order to be established, she added.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das