Putin meets senior Indian official amid tariff war with US
Iran Press TV
Friday, 08 August 2025 11:41 AM
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with visiting Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Moscow just a day after Washington slapped new tariffs on New Delhi.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump imposed additional tariffs on India, citing the continued purchase of Russian oil by Indian entities.
On Thursday, Putin met with Doval in the Kremlin to discuss strengthening security ties between the two countries during the current "tumultuous" times.
The meeting, which took place at the president's Representative Office in the Kremlin's Senate Palace, also involved Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and Indian Ambassador to Moscow Vinay Kumar.
Earlier on Thursday, Doval held a meeting with Shoigu. He announced on Thursday that the "strategic and special partnership" between India and Russia is of enhanced importance as the world is passing through a "tumultuous situation".
The talks with Shoigu and other senior officials had focused on bilateral energy and defense cooperation as well as Putin's visit to India.
Doval did not specify the exact date of the Putin visit, but said plans for the India visit were "almost finalized".
Analysts hinted at the significance of the meeting in the Kremlin as it was held a day after Trump announced the additional 25 percent tariff on imports from India.
The added tariffs bring the total levies against one of Washington's most important trading partners to 50 percent.
The United States and its Western allies had already threatened India with very substantial tariffs to pressure New Delhi to stop buying oil from Russia.
They claimed that by purchasing Russia's oil, India is funding Moscow's ongoing special military operation in eastern Ukraine.
Trump said in late July that India will be slapped with a 25 percent tariff on exports to the US and pay an undisclosed "penalty" for purchasing energy and military equipment from Russia starting August 1.
In an executive order issued on Wednesday, Trump said he determined "that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil."
The new tariffs will go into effect later this month, while a previously announced 25 percent tariff is set to be enforced starting Thursday.
In the meantime, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to hold a meeting of key cabinet ministers on Friday to discuss the implications of a sharp tariff hike by the US, India TV reported.
India has firmly rejected pressure from the West to halt imports of Russian oil, insisting that its sovereignty comes first.
The South Asian nation has consistently maintained that its foreign policy is guided by national interests and domestic needs, rather than alignment with any particular bloc.
Modi traveled to Russia twice last year to attend a summit with Putin and to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
On Thursday, Modi spoke on the phone to the BRICS leader, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
During the call, the two leaders talked about various issues, including the latest tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from both countries.
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