Putin meets India's security chief amid US tariffs row

Putin met India’s security chief Ajit Doval amid rising tensions over U.S. tariffs linked to New Delhi’s Russian oil imports.

President Vladimir Putin with National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India Ajit Doval. / Photo by Kristina Kormilitsyna (”Rossiya Segodnya“)

Russian President Vladimir Putin met India's national security advisor on Aug. 7, a day after Washington hiked tariffs on New Delhi over its purchases of Moscow's oil.

US President Donald Trump imposed the additional 25-percent tariff on Indian goods, coming into place in three weeks, as part of a campaign to pressure Russia into ending its offensive of Ukraine by affecting its trade partners.

India is a major buyer of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow's state budget.

Russia is also one of India's top arms suppliers and the warm ties between the two countries date back to the Soviet era.

The Kremlin published footage of Putin shaking hands with Ajit Doval, though provided no details of their discussions.

At an earlier meeting in Moscow, Doval said that the dates for a visit to India by Putin were "almost finalized".

The Kremlin slammed calls to "force countries to sever trading relations" with Russia as "illegitimate", without directly mentioning Trump.

Ukraine's Western allies have sought to cut Russia's export earnings since Moscow launched its military assault in February 2022.

But Russia has been able to redirect energy sales away from Europe to countries including India and China, ensuring the multi-billion-dollar flow of funds has continued.

India has argued it imported oil "from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

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