Sovereign nations are free to choose their trading partners: Kremlin on Western pressure on India over purchase of Russian crude

MOSCOW, Aug 5 : Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in a comment on the ongoing situation regarding India’s purchase of Russian oil and the Western-led efforts to pressurise India to stop its purchase.

On Monday, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that New Delhi considers the criticism by the United States and the European Union over Russian oil imports to be unjustified and unwise and will take measures to protect its interests and economic security.

India’s purchase of Russian oil has brought it into the centre of the energy conflict between Moscow and the West, with the US and the EU applying additional threats, and India showing no signs of budging.

“We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,” Peskov told reporters.

“We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to choose for themselves the forms of trade and economic cooperation that are in the interests of a particular country,” he added.

The Kremlin’s statement comes after Trump issued another warning for India on Monday night, warning New Delhi of revised tariffs if it did not stop its purchase of Russian oil and other military products.

(UNI_

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