MenuPresident Donald Trump promised to reconsider tariffs on India if New Delhi ceases purchasing Russian crude oil. Targeting Moscow’s second-largest crude oil buyer strikes directly at the Kremlin’s financial underbelly in its war of attrition against Ukraine. While this leverage may prove consequential as peace talks are limping, some in Washington worry that pressure on India is strengthening those in New Delhi arguing for “strategic autonomy”, including the India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Speaking to the media in at the Munich Security Conference, he refused to a give a clear answer to the question whether India is cutting its Russian oil purchases. In the meantime, a political row exploded in New Delhi as the Congress-led opposition has accused Narendra Modi’s government of “selling out under pressure”. Overplaying Washington’s hand could reduce future avenues for cooperation to contain China in Southeast Asia or the Middle East with Indian support, through the I2U2 and other frameworks.
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