In Nato letter, Trump calls out 'shocking' Russian oil buys — why it matters to India

In another attempt to push Western allies to stop their purchases of Russian crude and increase pressure on Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump issued an open letter to Nato members. Yet one detail stood out in the President’s message: India was not mentioned.

The omission is striking, given Trump and his administration, particularly trade representative Peter Navarro, have repeatedly criticised New Delhi over its energy ties with Moscow.“I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all Nato Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all Nato Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump wrote in a letter he shared on Truth social, a platform he owns.

“The purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.”While his comments were directed at Nato, they carry significance for India. For months, New Delhi has defended Russian oil imports by pointing to Europe’s heavy reliance on discounted supplies from Moscow. Trump’s attack, without naming India, effectively echoes what India has been saying that Western double standards are evident in their criticism of Indian purchases while European nations continue their own trade.

The India angle: From tariffs to diplomacy

Trump’s comments also come against the backdrop of his recent praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries. Despite imposing steep tariffs, including a 50% duty on Indian goods linked to Russian oil imports, Trump has repeatedly distinguished his criticism of India from his personal regard for PM Modi, describing the two as “very good friends.”White House officials and Trump’s nominee for ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, have meanwhile underlined that “getting India to stop buying Russian oil is a top priority for this administration.”

Yet Gor also acknowledged that New Delhi is a “strategic partner whose trajectory will shape the region,” stressing that both sides are “not that far apart” on a trade deal.For India, Trump’s renewed focus on European purchases reinforces its long-standing argument. If Washington is now pressing Nato capitals with the same language it once reserved for New Delhi, Indian officials can point to the inconsistency in Western criticism.As Jaishankar put it during a recent visit to Moscow: “We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union.”The European oil dilemmaThe sharpest part of Trump's message was aimed at European capitals. Since 2023, Turkey has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Hungary and Slovakia, both Nato members, have also continued imports despite sanctions elsewhere. Trump’s intervention plays directly into a debate long mentioned by New Delhi: that Europe has been inconsistent in criticising India while quietly maintaining its own dependence on Russian crude.India has defended its position on energy procurement as being guided by “market conditions” and national interest.

Jaishankar has openly called out what he termed “double standards,” noting that India’s imports from the US have simultaneously increased even as Washington applies pressure over Russian supplies.The significance of Trump’s letter, then, goes beyond Nato. By calling out Europe’s “shocking” imports, the US president has indirectly validated India’s line of defence. Whether this translates into easing tariff pressure on New Delhi remains to be seen, but the message is clear: in the geopolitical battle over Russian oil, Europe can no longer escape the scrutiny that India has faced from its western counterparts for more than two years.