Hope US-India trade deal does not hamper Delhi-Moscow ties, says Russian minister

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday told The Indian Express that Moscow hopes that the recent trade deal between India and the United States will not harm ties between New Delhi and Russia.

“Trade volumes [between India and Russia] have been reasonably high, but potential is even higher,” Ryabkov said in an interview to the newspaper. “So I’m sure that for India, there should be place for everyone and capabilities to interact with everyone.”

His remarks come after the United States rolled back an additional 25% punitive tariff it had imposed on Indian goods in August for purchasing Russian oil. The levy had taken the combined US tariff rate on Indian imports to 50%.

On February 7, US President Donald Trump withdrew the additional 25% levy, bringing the effective US tariff rate on Indian imports down to 18%, after the two countries agreed on a framework for an interim trade deal.

An executive order issued by the White House had said that the punitive tariff was being removed as New Delhi had committed to stop “directly or indirectly” importing Russian oil.

The US had been alleging that India’s purchases of Russian oil helped fuel the war in Ukraine, while New Delhi had maintained that its oil purchases were aimed at ensuring its own energy security.

In his interview...

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