Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the press at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, cautioned against any nation trying to “dominate” global politics or security, even as he acknowledged the rise of “economic giants” such as India and China.
“From an international law point of view, everyone must have equal rights, and must be in a similar position,” Putin declared, stressing the need for balance in international relations.
He noted that large countries like India and China have unique political systems and domestic laws, warning that attempts to “punish” them place their leaders in a difficult bind. “If one of them shows weakness, his political career will be over,” Putin said.
Speaking of history, he reminded the West of its colonial past. “Countries have had difficult periods in their history, such as colonialism, attacks on sovereignty for prolonged periods of time. Now that the colonial era is over, they have to realise that they cannot use this tone in speaking with their partners,” he said.
Putin’s remarks come against the backdrop of intensifying trade and geopolitical tensions. On August 27, US President Donald Trump’s administration doubled tariffs on India to 50 percent – half aimed at penalising New Delhi for ramping up Russian oil imports after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and the other half under Trump’s signature “America First” push to cut trade deficits.
Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro has been a vocal critic of India and recently doubled down on New Delhi’s trade ties with Moscow calling the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit a “shame.”
“It is a shame to see [PM] Modi getting in bed with Xi Jinping and Putin. I’m not sure what he’s thinking. We hope he comes around to seeing that he needs to be with us and not Russia,” he said.
Since Trump dropped his tariff bombshell on India, Navarro has also frequently criticised New Delhi’s continued crude trade with Moscow, alleging that the revenue from the oil purchase was funding Putin’s war on Ukraine.
After decades of building a relationship together, the imposition of sweeping tariffs seems like a setback, a sentiment experts have echoed. India has defended its purchase of Russian oil and labelled US’ actions as “unjustified”.
India is the only country to be hit by Trump’s “secondary tariffs”, even though China is also a major buyer of Russian crude.
