The Russian President, who said he was looking forward to his upcoming visit to India in December, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his 'friend' calling him a "balanced and wise leader'. File photo
India won't accept humiliation: Putin slams US pressure over Russian oil trade
Russian President calls PM Modi a 'friend,' asserts India 'will never tolerate humiliation,' and points to US hypocrisy over Russian uranium reliance
Russian President Vladimir Putin hit out at US President Donald Trump’s administration on October 2 for pressuring India to scale back on its energy trade with Moscow, warning that such actions could ultimately harm Washington's interests.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Forum—a global security and geopolitical conference attended by experts from 140 countries, including India—in Sochi, South Russia, Putin cautioned that imposing higher tariffs on Russia’s trade partners would possibly lead to a surge in global energy prices. This, he argued, could compel the US Federal Reserve to maintain elevated interest rates, potentially slowing down the American economy.
'Not tolerate humiliation'
President Vladimir Putin asserted that New Delhi has no justification to yield to external pressure, emphasising, “India will never allow itself to be humiliated,” and expressing confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not take such a step.
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He warned that halting energy imports from Russia could cost India between $9 billion and $10 billion. “The people of a nation like India, believe me, pay close attention to the decisions of their leaders and will never tolerate humiliation before anyone,” Putin added.
'Modi is a friend'
Further, the Russian President, who said he was looking forward to his upcoming visit to India in December, he said, "We have never had any problems or interstate tensions with India. Never."
"Of course, the people of a country like India, believe me, will closely monitor the decisions made by the political leadership and will never allow any humiliation in front of anyone. And then, I know Prime Minister Modi; he himself would never take any steps of this kind...", he noted.
Calling PM Modi as a friend, he praised him as a "balanced and wise leader" and stressed that Moscow and New Delhi share a "special" relationship.
'Economically pointless'
Putin dismissed the US tariff pressure on India as economically "pointless," saying losses would be offset by Russian crude imports and bolster India’s sovereign standing.
To address trade imbalance, he suggested Russia could increase purchases of Indian agricultural goods and pharmaceuticals from India. Certain steps can be undertaken from our side for medicinal products, pharmaceuticals," Putin stated.
US's need for uranium
Putin also accused Washington of hypocrisy, noting that while it pressures countries like India over Russian energy imports, the US itself relies on Moscow for uranium.
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The United States is one of the largest, if not the largest, states using nuclear power plants, he said, pointing out that Russia is the second-largest uranium supplier to the American nuclear energy sector.