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17 hours ago
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The statement came after Trump signed an executive order penalising India for continuing oil trade with Russia by slapping New Delhi with 25% additional tariff. (File Photo)
Soon after President Donald Trump announced a 25% additional tariff on India over its imports of Russian oil, New Delhi reiterated that such actions are “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” and asserted that it will take all necessary steps to protect its national interests.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India.”
The latest statement referred to India’s earlier remarks on Monday, in which it called out the US and the European Union for their “unjustified and unreasonable” targeting of New Delhi over its procurement of Russian crude oil.
“It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,” the statement said.
“We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” Jaiswal added. “India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”
Firmly rejecting the criticism, India also pointed to the double standards in targeting it on the issue, and noted that both the US and the EU continue to maintain trade relations with Russia.
“Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” the MEA had said in Monday’s statement.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
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