'Unjustified, unilateral': Russia slams Trump tariffs, backs India over crude oil purchase
Briefing reporters in New Delhi, deputy chief of mission Roman Babushkin said the US has 'weaponised the economy' but added, 'friends do not impose sanctions, and Russia will never impose sanctions on India".
He underlined that Russia has created a 'special mechanism' to ensure uninterrupted crude supplies to India, which currently sources around 40 per cent of its oil needs from Moscow at an average discount of 5 per cent.
The Russian official said India and Russia are on track to achieve the target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, noting that Moscow is working to reduce the trade imbalance by boosting Indian exports of machinery, pharmaceuticals, tea and rice. Russia, he added, remained one of India's largest suppliers of energy and fertilisers.
On Western sanctions, Babushkin said the European Union's latest package will have little impact on Russia and reiterated that India is unlikely to stop Russian oil purchases.
'We are committed to sit with India to address challenges and remove them,' he said, while also revealing that the two countries are in advanced talks on small and modular nuclear reactors.
'Russia is the partner of choice for India in India, have jointly developed BrahMos cruise missile, are working on other sophisticated equipment, including jet engines,' Babushkin said.
Babushkin noted that President Vladimir Putin had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice on the situation in Ukraine, adding, 'India matters very much to us.'
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