Modi’s top aides to visit Russia despite Trump’s tariff threats
Prime Minister Narendra Modi –
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Top aides for Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Russia on scheduled visits in the coming days, shortly after US President Donald Trump ramped up tariff threats over New Delhi’s close ties with Moscow, according to officials familiar with the matter.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will visit Russia this week, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to follow later this month, the Indian officials said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are still private. Doval’s visit was first reported on Tuesday by The Times of India.
The Ministry of External Affairs didn’t respond to a request for a comment.
While both trips are part of routine annual consultations and were scheduled well in advance, they come against the backdrop of growing tensions in India-US relations over New Delhi’s ties with Moscow. After imposing a steep 25 per cent tariff on India, Trump on Monday threatened to raise it “substantially” over New Delhi’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil. Washington argues that India — along with China — is helping President Vladimir Putin fund his war in Ukraine through those purchases.
New Delhi has defended its position, saying criticism from the US and European Union about the Asian nation’s trade with Russia was “unjustified and unreasonable.” It highlighted that the EU and US continue to buy energy and other materials from Russia when “such trade is not even a national compulsion.”
Over the years, Modi has maintained close ties with Putin, having visited Russia in October. The Russian president is expected to visit India later this year — a trip that will likely be on the agenda during Doval and Jaishankar’s discussions in Moscow, the people said.
Amid rising tensions with Trump, India last week reaffirmed its “steady and time-tested partnership” with Moscow and has not, so far, instructed its oil refiners to stop buying Russian oil.
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Published on August 5, 2025
