India and Russia have stood by each other during worst of times, PM Modi tells Putin

In the backdrop of India facing punitive tariffs for its crude oil purchases from Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said New Delhi and Moscow have stood by each other during the “worst of times”.

Modi also suggested an immediate need for bringing about peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The PM was making his opening remarks at a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

In a message clearly intended for the US and Europe, Modi told Putin, “Even in the worst of times, India and Russia have maintained close ties.” This, he said, was due to the “depth of our special and privileged strategic partnership”.

“Our ties not just help our people, but they are good for global stability, peace and growth,” Modi said.

The US and Europe have been accusing India of funding the Russian aggression by buying crude oil from Russia. US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent punitive tariffs on India for buying Russian crude. India had pointed out at the ‘absurdity’ of the punitive tariffs and cited how China was the biggest buyer of Russian crude while Europe is the biggest buyer of Russian gas. Both don’t face punitive tariffs.

After the stalled trade talks between India and the US, New Delhi faced a 25 per cent tariff and the additional 25 per cent punitive tariff makes it a total of 50 per cent duties on Indian goods being imported into the US.

Referring to the Ukraine conflict, Modi said, “India welcomes all efforts to bring peace, we hope all sides move ahead constructively.”

“There is a need to end the conflict and to find a way towards stable peace,” Modi said.