India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will visit Moscow this week amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Indian exports over the country’s continued purchases of Russian oil, Indian and Russian media reported on Tuesday.
An anonymous source told Russia’s state-run news agency TASS that Doval is expected to have “several meetings” with Russian officials on Thursday. According to Indian media reports, Doval plans to clarify New Delhi’s strategy on Russian oil imports amid signs Moscow may offer greater discounts.
India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will also reportedly visit Russia sometime later this month.
Trump has threatened to “substantially” raise tariffs on Indian goods after accusing New Delhi of “fueling the war machine” by buying cheaper Russian oil and selling it for “big profits.”
India has rejected those threats as “unjustified and unreasonable.”
“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
India has refrained from sanctioning Russian oil since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and it has now become the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China.
Between January and June, India purchased 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian seaborne crude, the highest of any foreign buyer, according to Reuters.
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