Jaishankar Meets Putin in Moscow Amid US Pressure Over Russian Oil Ties
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, a high-stakes engagement held in the shadow of steep new US tariffs targeting India for its continued energy trade with Russia. The meeting capped a three-day visit aimed at reinforcing the “special strategic partnership” between the two nations as they navigate a complex geopolitical landscape.
The visit unfolded against a backdrop of significant strain in India-US relations. The Trump administration recently doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, a move the White House explicitly linked to India’s purchase of Russian crude oil, which it claims indirectly funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Without directly naming Washington, Jaishankar acknowledged that his talks in Moscow were taking place “in the backdrop of a complex geopolitical situation,” but stressed that leadership on both sides remained “closely and regularly engaged.”
Throughout his visit, Jaishankar and his Russian counterparts projected a united front. Earlier in the day, he described the India-Russia relationship as “the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War.” His push for deeper economic engagement was a central theme, as he called on Russian firms to work “more intensively” with Indian partners. “Doing more and doing differently should be our mantra,” he said, highlighting the need to remove trade barriers, improve transport connectivity, and ensure smooth payment mechanisms.
While the overall trade volume between the two countries has surged more than five-fold in four years to $68 billion—largely driven by Indian imports of Russian oil—Jaishankar also flagged the growing imbalance. India’s trade deficit with Russia has ballooned to nearly $59 billion, an issue he raised in his discussions, emphasizing the need to diversify the trade basket and promote more joint ventures to create a more sustainable economic partnership.
