India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval as well as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are visiting Russia and intensifies pressure on New Delhi to reduce its trade with Moscow. Doval’s high-level meetings in Moscow will take place on Wednesday, and the trip’s significance has much increased since US President Donald Trump has issued threats of recently announced sharp increases in the existing 25% tariff on Indian goods due to purchases of Russian oil.
Although neither India nor Russia has announced the trip in public, sources said it’s not ruled out that a meeting between Doval and Russian President Vladimir Putin would occur. Russia has now become one of the main energy suppliers for India; therefore, oil imports will occupy a central part of discussions. The TASS state-run agency confirmed that escalation of the geopolitical situation and energy trade would be at the heart of the discussions.
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Security and Defense on the Table
Apart from energies, Doval is expected to be informed about the delivery status of the two delayed S-400 air defense systems. Other issues likely include developments in Afghanistan after recognition by Russia of the Taliban government in Kabul. The meetings happen to coincide with larger geopolitical negotiations, just when Putin is supposed to host US special envoy Steve Witkoff to explore a Ukraine ceasefire a day before Doval flies in.
Washington has claimed that its imports of Russian crude oil are immense hence India is accused of reselling oil to finance wars over Ukraine. The Indian government promised to defend national security interests against those unreasonable and unjustified threats of sanctions coming from the USA and EU.
Jaishankar to Steer Trade Negotiations
Following Doval’s visit to Moscow, Jaishankar is to travel to the India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) that is to take place at the close of August. This commission deals with trade and economic matters and is expected to discuss issues of US punitive tariffs and consequences surrounding those targeted at India’s energy security.
Trump has repeatedly posted on his social media, lambasting India as the highest tariff nation and threatening to raise duties very significantly 24 hours after August 7 unless New Delhi lowered imports of Russian oil. He claimed such trade barred the fuel to the war machine in Ukraine. In reply, Indian officials insisted that national interest and economic stability were the bases for energy procurement decisions.
Indications have already surfaced that imports from India into the US would falter due to trade restrictions, and hence, visits from both Doval and Jaishankar are perceived as strengthening ties with Moscow while juggling friction with Russia.
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