India will never bow to humiliation: Putin hits back at Trump’s oil tariff pressure

Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 2 launched a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, declaring that India would never bow to foreign pressure over its energy ties with Moscow. Speaking at the Valdai discussion forum in Sochi, Putin warned that punitive US measures would backfire, driving up global energy prices and slowing America’s own economy.

“India will never allow itself to be humiliated,” Putin asserted, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would never take such a step. He estimated New Delhi’s potential losses at $9–10 billion if it curtailed Russian crude imports under American pressure, but stressed that Indian citizens “will never allow any humiliation in front of anyone.”

Calling Modi a trusted friend, Putin emphasized that Russia has “never had any interstate tensions” with India and pledged to take steps to reduce the trade imbalance, which currently tilts heavily due to crude oil imports. He suggested boosting Russian purchases of Indian agricultural goods and pharmaceuticals.

The Russian leader also accused Washington of hypocrisy, noting that while the US pressures India and others to cut energy ties with Moscow, it remains one of the world’s biggest buyers of Russian uranium to fuel its nuclear plants.

Putin is scheduled to visit India in December, a trip he framed as both a reaffirmation of Moscow’s strategic partnership with New Delhi and a chance to counterbalance Western attempts at economic coercion.