India has demonstrated resilience by not succumbing to the tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump, the Russian government said on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the fortitude of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during an interview with Indonesian newspaper Kompas.
He was responding to a question on Trump’s latest threat to impose further high tariffs on countries trading with Russia.
Lavrov noted that people worldwide are aware that Trump has gone beyond imposing high import tariffs on products from several nations trading with Russia.
Moscow criticised the impact on India, which Lavrov described as a “privileged strategic partner.” The world’s second most populous nation is a major consumer of Russian goods, particularly hydrocarbons.
“We appreciate the fact that New Delhi had not bowed down to pressure and maintains its commitment to free trade principles,” the Foreign Minister told Kompas.
The Kremlin also appeared to criticise United States foreign policy, saying Americans “have gone back on every principle they’ve been extolling for many years, if not decades.”
According to Lavrov, Russia operates on the premise that bilateral relations with any country have a value of their own, and “never make friends with anyone to oppose a third party.”
Lavrov added that Russia does not pursue trade with partners, including a major economy like Indonesia, merely to “harm their relations with other countries, including the United States.”
