Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized US pressure on the Asian country not to buy Russian oil while Washington buys nuclear fuel from Moscow, at the start of a two-day visit to India.
Putin spoke to India Today television, and the conversation was broadcast hours after he landed in New Delhi, arriving for a visit that both countries hope will boost trade.
Oil imports fall due to US tariffs
Putin's first visit to India in four years aims to boost sales of Russian oil, missile systems and fighter jets and expand cooperation beyond energy and defense. The Russian president arrives in India at a time of intense pressure from Washington on New Delhi to reduce its ties with Moscow.
The two countries have been close since the former Soviet Union, and Russia has been a major source of arms for India for decades. The Asian country has also become the largest buyer of Russian oil transported by sea since Western sanctions were imposed over Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
India's oil imports are expected to fall to a three-year low this month after the United States imposed tariffs on imports from India and tightened sanctions against Russia that also affect third countries.
"Why shouldn't India have the same privilege?"
The Trump administration has stressed that India's purchase of cheap Russian oil is helping Moscow finance its war in Ukraine.
"The US continues to buy nuclear fuel from us for its nuclear power plants. And that is fuel," Putin told India Today.
"If the US has the right to buy our fuel, why shouldn't India have the same privilege? This issue deserves in-depth analysis and we are ready to discuss it, including with President Trump," the Russian president added.
"Russian oil trade in India is proceeding smoothly"
India has previously said Trump's tariffs are unjustified and irrational, and pointed out that the United States continues to trade with Russia. The United States and the European Union continue to import billions of dollars worth of Russian energy, from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium.
Asked about the decline in his country's oil purchases in India, Putin acknowledged that there had been "a certain decline in overall trade in the first nine months of this year."
"This is just a small adjustment. Overall, our trade is at about the same level as before."
"Trade in petroleum products and crude oil, Russian oil, is proceeding smoothly in India," Putin concluded.
