As the United States tightens its tariff grip on countries it once called partners, Russia has accused the Washington of pushing a “neo-colonial agenda” to preserve a slipping global dominance.

The sharp rebuke came from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who said sanctions and tariff walls have become a defining mark of today’s world.

“Politically motivated economic pressure” is the tool now wielded against countries choosing to chart their own foreign policy paths, she said.

Zakharova was responding to questions on the Donald Trump administration’s escalating tariff strategy, particularly its impact on countries in the Global South.

She argued that this approach tramples the very ideals of free trade that the West once championed.

“Instead, we now witness politically driven protectionism and the arbitrary imposition of tariff barriers. Brazil, our strategic partner in Latin America and the Caribbean, is one of the main victims of this policy,” she said.

She warned that such actions strike directly at the sovereignty of nations, disrupt global supply chains and accelerate the fragmentation of the international economic system.

“No tariff wars or sanctions can halt the natural course of history,” she declared, adding that Russia continues to draw strength from its alliances, particularly within the BRICS bloc.

“We stand ready to deepen cooperation with them to resist unlawful unilateral sanctions and to help shape a genuinely multipolar, just and equitable international order,” she said.

The Russian remarks landed just hours after U.S. President Trump made fresh threats aimed at India.

In a post on Truth Social, he lashed out at New Delhi’s oil trade with Moscow. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. 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,” he wrote.

India has not stayed silent. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a sharp rebuttal, defending India’s energy policy as driven by necessity and national interest, not geopolitical pressure.

Calling the criticism “unjustified and unreasonable”, the MEA made it clear that India would continue to secure affordable energy for its citizens.

“We will take all necessary steps to safeguard our national interests and economic security,” the statement said.

As the United States attempts to reshape global trade through punitive measures, a growing list of nations, Russia, India, Brazil and others, are pushing back with words, policies and alliances.

The next chapter in this battle may not be fought with missiles, but with pipelines, sanctions and sovereign decisions.