‘China buying the most oil, LNG European Union and India Bus …’, Jayash on American tariff in Russia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reacted on Thursday (August 21, 2025) to a meeting with the US to buy oil from Russia during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. He said that India is “very surprised” in understanding this argument.

Jaishankar told that India is not the largest oil buyer of Russia, it is China. At the same time, India is not even the largest LNG buyer, it is the European Union. Apart from this, India did not do the biggest trade growth with Russia after 2022, some countries have more business in the south.

Why did America not put tariffs on China?
The US has not yet imposed any ban on China for oil imports from Russia. The US Treasury Secretary justified it on the basis that India increased imports from Russia after the war and made a profit by selling oil again.

India surprised American argument
Jaishankar said that America had been saying for the last several years that India should help stabilize the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia. At the same time, India also buys oil from America, and its quantity has increased. In such a situation, India is surprised to understand American argument.

India-Russia relations strong- S Jaishankar
Jaishankar said that India and Russia are among the most stable relations in the world. He explained the importance of maintaining energy cooperation, trade and investment. Defense and military technical cooperation is also strong, and Russia cooperates in India’s ‘Make in India’ goals.

Measures to improve business balance
Jaishankar said that the two countries repeated a shared ambition to increase bilateral trade. Increasing India’s exports in areas such as agriculture, pharma and textile will help improve business imbalance.

India’s Russian Oil Import Policy
India is the second largest oil importer in Russia, after China. Oil imports have accelerated after the Russia-Ukraine War, and the US is considering it as a cause of punishment. PM Modi has appealed to end the war through repeated talks, and India’s oil imports are decided on the basis of national interest, availability and low prices.