ISTANBUL

The Kremlin on Tuesday said that Moscow does not consider US President Donald Trump’s threat to India on imposing higher tariffs over its purchase of Russian oil as “legitimate.”

“We hear many statements that are actually threats. Attempts to force countries to stop trading with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legitimate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a press briefing, commenting on a statement by the Indian Foreign Ministry released in response to Trump’s remarks over the weekend.

Peskov noted that sovereign countries have the right to choose their partners for trade and economic cooperation based on their interests.

On Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would impose higher tariffs on India, accusing New Delhi of profiting from the resale of Russian oil.

Without providing further details on the scope or timeline of the tariff hike, the US president said: "They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA."

In response, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal wrote on Monday that the US encouraged such imports by India at the start of the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war, with the aim of “strengthening global energy markets stability.”

“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict,” said the corresponding statement released by the ministry, defining New Delhi’s targeting as “unjustified and unreasonable.”

“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the statement added.