‘You Cannot Talk to India or China Like That’: Putin Slams Trump’s Tariff Pressure
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a sharp rebuke to Washington on Thursday, warning the Trump administration that it cannot strong-arm major powers like India and China with tariffs and sanctions.
“You cannot talk to India or China in that way,” Putin told reporters after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and a military parade in China . He accused the US of using economic pressure as a tool to undermine the two Asian giants, describing the tariff regime as an attempt to “weaken the leadership of these countries” .
Putin emphasized that both India, with its 1.5 billion people, and China are powerful economies with their own domestic political dynamics . He argued that their leaders cannot show weakness in the face of external pressure without risking their political careers, a reality shaped by their histories of colonialism and struggles for sovereignty.
“When somebody tells you they are going to punish you, you have to think — how can the leadership of those big countries react?” he said, adding that the “colonial era is now over” and Washington must realize it can no longer use such terms when dealing with its partners .
Despite the current tensions, Putin expressed optimism that “everything will take its place, and we will see normal political dialogue again” . His comments come as India faces US sanctions for purchasing Russian oil, and China remains embroiled in a trade war with Washington .
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his administration’s stance, recently confirming that secondary sanctions have been imposed on India for its oil trade with Russia and signaling that more measures could follow . Trump claimed the move had already cost Moscow “hundreds of billions of dollars.” Earlier at the SCO summit, Putin had praised the contributions of India and China in seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, highlighting the growing alignment between the three nations in the face of Western pressure
