India’s Purchase of Russian Oil a ‘Point of Irritation’ in Ties: Marco Rubio

Washington: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that India’s continued imports of Russian oil remain a “point of irritation” in the otherwise strong strategic relationship between the two countries.

His comments come just a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff and an additional penalty on Indian imports, citing India’s trade ties with Russia and high trade barriers.

Speaking to Fox Radio, Rubio acknowledged India as a key U.S. ally and strategic partner but emphasized that disagreements are natural in foreign policy.

“India is an ally. It’s a strategic partner. But like in any international relationship, you won’t always be aligned 100 percent on every issue,” Rubio said.

“India has huge energy needs — oil, coal, gas — to fuel its growing economy. Russian oil, being sanctioned, is sold at discounted prices, and that’s why India continues to buy it. Unfortunately, that indirectly supports Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. And that’s a concern for us,” he added.

Rubio’s remarks came after Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday to announce new trade penalties on India.

In his post, Trump said:
“ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!”

Trump criticized India for having some of the world’s highest tariffs and “the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers,” which he claimed have historically limited U.S.-India trade.

“While India is our friend, we’ve done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are too high,” Trump stated.

He also linked the issue to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, noting that India has long sourced most of its military equipment from Russia and remains one of the top buyers of Russian energy, alongside China.

With inputs from IANS