Russia slams U.S. over India oil threats, calls pressure illegal

Russia on Tuesday accused the United States of applying illegal pressure on India over its Russian oil imports, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs unless New Delhi halts purchases.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said attempts to force countries to sever trade ties with Moscow violate international norms. “We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,” he told reporters.

India has dismissed the pressure, calling Trump’s warnings “unjustified” and affirming that it will continue buying Russian oil. Two Indian government sources told Reuters over the weekend that New Delhi would not alter its purchases despite U.S. threats.

Trump has said he would impose new sanctions on Russia and penalise countries that continue buying its energy exports unless Moscow moves to end the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s position on the war remains unchanged, with President Vladimir Putin signalling no shift ahead of Trump’s Friday deadline.

The Kremlin argued that countries have the right to choose their trading partners freely. “We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to choose for themselves the forms of trade and economic cooperation that are in the interests of a particular country,” Peskov said.

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