Russia slammed US tariff threats against India and China, calling them “ancient civilisations” and claiming that threat to them “won’t work,” and that both the nations are unlikely to bow down to ultimatums.Speaking on Russia’s main Channel 1 TV programme “The Great Game,” Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said, “Both China and India are ancient civilisations. And talking to them like ‘either you stop doing what I don’t like or I’ll impose tariffs on you’ won’t work. And the ongoing contacts between Beijing and Washington, between New Delhi and Washington, show that the American side understands it, too.”The comments came against the backdrop of escalating US criticism of India for continuing to import oil from Moscow despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.The Donald Trump administration recently hiked tariffs on Indian goods from 25% on August 7 to 50% by August 27, directly citing New Delhi’s oil purchases from Moscow.Lavrov pointed out that US trade threats have forced countries like India and China to look for “new markets, new sources of energy supplies” and pay higher costs.“Besides the fact that this undermines the economic well-being of those countries, it at least creates very serious difficulties for them, forcing them to seek new markets, new sources of energy supplies, (and) forcing them to pay higher prices,” he said.“But beyond this, and perhaps even more importantly than this, there is a moral and political opposition to this approach,” he added.

Trump: Close ties but tough measures

During his recent state visit to Britain, Trump struck a contradictory tone, stressing his personal ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as he defended sanctions on India.“When I found out that the European nations were buying oil from Russia, I am very close to India and to the PM of India, I wished him a happy birthday the other day, we have a very good relationship, but I sanctioned them (India),” he said.“If the price of oil comes down, Putin will have no choice but to drop out of that war,” he added. He further argued that India’s continued energy trade with Moscow was “not playing fair with the US.”White House trade adviser Peter Navarro echoed this hard line, branding India the “maharaja of tariffs” and accusing Indian refiners of “profiteering” by working closely with Russian suppliers after the invasion. “Indian refiners were in bed with Russian refiners immediately after the invasion. They make money off us via unfair trade and many workers get screwed. They use that money to buy Russian oil, and Russians use that to buy weapons,” Navarro alleged.

Lavrov dismisses Russia sanctions

Lavrov, however, dismissed concerns over new rounds of sanctions, saying Russia had already adapted to such measures. “Frankly speaking, I don’t see any problem with the new sanctions imposed on Russia. An enormous amount of sanctions, unprecedented for that period, were imposed during President Donald Trump’s first term,” Lavrov said.Reflecting on the broader trajectory of US policy, he added, “We have started to draw conclusions from the situation when the West imposed these sanctions. Later, during President Joe Biden’s term, sanctions were used as a replacement for any diplomatic effort. There was no search for a compromise.”Despite tensions, India and the US have been in talks for an interim trade deal over the past few months. But with tariffs rising and geopolitical pressures mounting, both New Delhi and Beijing continue to assert their independent paths, reinforced by Moscow’s backing.