Putin Backs India, Says PM Modi Won’t Bow to Tariff Pressure

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday issued a sharp warning to the United States over its attempts to pressure India and China into cutting energy ties with Moscow, stressing that such actions could destabilize global markets and damage the American economy itself.

Speaking at a forum of Russia experts, Putin declared that “India and China will not allow themselves to be humiliated”, adding that punitive trade measures and energy ultimatums from Washington would not succeed. His comments come at a time of heightened tensions after the US imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods in August, raising the total tax on Indian exports to 50%.

Putin: Tariffs and Global Repercussions

According to Putin, any move to tighten tariffs on Russia’s key trading partners would only push up international prices, forcing the US Federal Reserve to maintain high interest rates. “If higher tariffs are imposed on our partners, global prices will rise. The United States itself will pay the price,” the Russian leader remarked.

Putin underscored that India’s energy relationship with Moscow was based on mutual trust and necessity, not coercion. “If India refuses our energy supplies, it will suffer a certain loss. The people of a country like India will never allow their leadership to accept humiliation in front of anyone,” he said, asserting that he personally knows Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “never take such steps.”

Double Standards on Energy

The Russian president also highlighted what he called Washington’s hypocrisy, pointing out that the US continues to import enriched uranium from Russia while simultaneously urging India and other nations to stop buying Russian oil. “This is a double standard,” Putin said, adding that such selective policies erode American credibility on the world stage.

Putin: US Attacks on India’s Oil Purchases

The remarks arrive amid repeated criticism of New Delhi by US officials over its continued purchase of discounted Russian crude. Former President Donald Trump, his trade adviser Peter Navarro, and other senior officials have accused India of aligning too closely with Moscow and Beijing, with Navarro once labeling India the “Maharaja of tariffs.”

At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Putin had already cautioned Washington against trying to strong-arm India and China, saying, “You cannot talk to India or China in that way. The colonial era is now over.”

Echoing Putin’s words, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also dismissed American trade threats, noting that “ancient civilizations like India and China will not bow to ultimatums.”

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