MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Ministry praised India for maintaining strong ties with Moscow despite mounting economic pressure from the West. Russian officials remarked, “Frankly, anything else would be hard to imagine,” according to RT.
Commending New Delhi’s decision to continue multifaceted cooperation with Russia, the ministry stated that bilateral relations are “steadily and confidently advancing” and emphasized that “any attempt to obstruct this process is destined to fail.”
The remarks come amid the US imposing steep tariffs on Indian goods. Initially, Washington had applied a 25% tariff under the global Trump-era tariffs, but an additional 25% ‘secondary tariff’ was recently imposed in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which the US criticized as “funding Moscow’s war machine.” Indian officials rejected these claims, calling the tariffs “highly unjustified and unfair.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted that India’s steadfast approach to its ties with Russia, despite Western criticism and global pressure, reflects “the spirit and traditions of long-standing Russia-India friendship” and exemplifies “strategic autonomy in international affairs.”
Moscow asserted that the partnership is grounded in “the highest value of sovereignty and the primacy of national interests,” making the relationship “reliable, predictable, and truly strategic in nature.”
Officials noted that India and Russia are engaged in large-scale joint projects across multiple sectors, including civilian and military production, manned space missions, nuclear power, and Indian investments in Russian oil exploration. Both countries are also collaborating on alternative payment systems, expanding the use of national currencies, and developing new transport and logistics routes—initiatives described as long-term efforts rather than mere responses to “unfavorable geopolitical realities.”
