India, the second-largest buyer of energy resources from Russia after China, was not intimidated by the economic threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and responded to the accusations coming from Washington of indirectly financing the special military operation.

In New Delhi, they suggested that Trump and the EU 'look in the mirror,' where both Washington and European countries also appear as 'sponsors' of the Russian special operation. Against this backdrop, global media report that India does not intend to quarrel with Russia to please Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who set a deadline of August 8 for Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, is trying to influence Moscow by all possible means, but time is running out, and it seems that the ultimatum will turn out to be just another 'bluff' from the eloquent head of the White House.

At the end of July, he launched the first large-scale attack on Narendra Modi's government since the sanctions against Russia were imposed. To start, Trump called the economies of India and Russia 'dying' while New Delhi is confident that India will have 'the third largest economy in the world.'

«Relations between India and Russia do not interest me at all. Let their dying economies collapse together, I don't care,» Trump wrote on July 31 on the social network Truth Social, and on August 1, the U.S. imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods.

In the event that Russia does not comply with the ultimatum by August 8, Trump promises to impose tariffs of 100% or even 500% on India and China, Bloomberg notes; however, these countries are currently not planning to abandon energy resource purchases from Russia. Against this backdrop, another rather original 'trump card' has come into play.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House Stephen Miller stated that India is financing the conflict in Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

«Trump very clearly stated that it is unacceptable for India to continue financing this war by buying oil from Russia,» he noted in an interview with Fox Business.

On August 4, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs pointed out to the U.S. the absurdity of this accusation.

«Attacks on India are baseless. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests and economic security (…) The United States continues to import depleted uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry, palladium for the electric vehicle industry, fertilizers, and chemicals,» said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

New Delhi also responded to critics from EU countries.

«It is notable that the same countries that criticize India are engaged in trade with Russia themselves. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national necessity,» noted the Indian foreign ministry.

The Ministry of External Affairs clarified that Europe imports chemicals, steel, iron, transport equipment, machinery, and energy resources from Russia.

Trump's levers of pressure on Russia are running out, but neither India nor China intend to reconsider their relations with Moscow, Bloomberg writes. The Indian TV channel Times Now also confirms that Trump's threats of tariffs will not lead to a cooling of Russian-Indian relations.

At the same time, the chief researcher at the Center for Indian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Evgenia Vanina, pointed out another important nuance to NSN.

«There is a very strong pro-American layer in India. You will hardly find a middle or upper-class family in this country, not to mention the elite, where the children do not live or study in the U.S. In the United States itself, there is a colossal Indian diaspora. Furthermore, there is a steady stream of 'processing' in the media pushing the notion that one must submit to the Americans, and that one should not deal with the Russians,» noted the expert.

In contrast, she called India's traditional adherence to the 'law of benefit' and the protection of national interests, as buying oil from Russia is indeed profitable for this country.

Expert from the Financial University under the Government of Russia and the National Energy Security Fund Igor Yushkov provided NSN with the relevant figures.

«We are an important trading partner for India, just as they are for us. About 40% of the oil that India imports comes from Russia. They are our second-largest buyer after China. China receives oil via pipeline and tankers; India only via tankers. When it comes to maritime transport, they are actually in first place. We export about 4.5 million barrels of crude oil per day; India purchases about 1.7-2 million barrels per day. Just under half of our exports go to India. And we are their most advantageous supplier. Currently, India is buying our oil at a discount, while they would have to buy other oil at $150 per barrel. It is profitable for India to claim that they are supposedly stopping purchases in order to negotiate even more discounts from us,» noted Yushkov.

According to him, the U.S. could simply ban the purchase of oil from Russia, but they are taking a different approach.

«If the U.S. wanted to stop our oil exports, if they wanted to ensure that Russia does not profit from this, they would have announced other sanctions. They would have imposed restrictions similar to those against Iran and Venezuela. There, it is simply forbidden for anyone to buy Iranian and Venezuelan oil. There are no such sanctions against Russia; instead, some tariffs have been invented. This is a special tool of pressure on these countries, not on Russia. The U.S. is pressuring India to force it to sign a trade deal on more favorable terms for the U.S.,» concluded the NSN interlocutor.

Against this backdrop, The Washington Post noted that in the trade war unleashed by the U.S., China is winning.