Modi, Putin Reaffirm India-Russia Strategic Partnership Amid US Tariff Dispute

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday pledged to strengthen the India-Russia strategic partnership, even as New Delhi faces steep US tariffs over its continued purchases of Russian oil. The leaders spoke by phone to review bilateral ties a day after Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called Modi to discuss the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.

“Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine,” Modi posted on X. “We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.” Modi said he looked forward to hosting Putin in India later this year.

India-Russia Strategic Partnership Strengthened Amid Tariff Pressure

The conversation came a day after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Putin and senior Russian officials in Moscow. Both sides reiterated the importance of their partnership in an uncertain global environment. Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said Moscow seeks to work with India to create a “more just” world order and jointly address modern challenges.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on Indian goods in response to New Delhi’s Russian oil imports, on top of another 25% tariff that took effect Thursday — effectively raising duties to 50%.

India, which sources nearly 60% of its military equipment from Russia and obtained 35% of its energy needs from Moscow in the first half of 2025, defended its purchases and accused the US and EU of unfairly targeting it while other buyers faced no penalties.

Modi Defends Farmers, Slams US Tariffs

Modi stated Thursday that India would never compromise on farmers’ interests, even at personal political cost. “India today is prepared to protect its farming community at any cost,” he said, calling the US move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”

The Kremlin said Putin updated Modi on his talks with US President Trump’s special envoy, Steven Witkoff, and discussed cooperation in trade, economy, and investment. Russian aide Yury Ushakov added that a future Putin-Trump meeting could reset US-Russia relations on a “mutually beneficial footing.”

Despite tensions, sources in New Delhi and Washington stressed that both countries aim to preserve gains in strategic cooperation built over the past two decades.

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