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Source: Newsmaker.id
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Russia to end the war in Ukraine and halt hostilities during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday.
Modi reaffirmed India’s support for all peace efforts related to the Ukraine conflict. He said the prolonged war would only worsen humanitarian conditions and move the world further away from a resolution.
“Every day that the war continues, humanity takes a step backwards,” Modi said. He stressed the need to move away from a prolonged conflict toward a cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement.
His remarks came as Russia’s Defense Ministry announced plans to launch large-scale strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The announcement followed a recent Russian attack on an ammunition warehouse that killed at least 38 people.
The threat of renewed attacks on energy facilities has raised concerns that Ukraine could face mounting pressure ahead of winter. Energy infrastructure has been one of Russia’s key targets during the conflict, often causing major disruptions to electricity and heating supplies in Ukraine.
At the same time, energy ties between Russia and India are facing growing pressure from the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to discuss legislation that could impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries ranked among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, including India and China.
Russia is currently India’s largest crude oil supplier. Russian oil accounted for more than 50% of India’s oil imports in June and July, and nearly 43% through August 24. The value of Russian exports to India between April and July also rose to more than US$34 billion, up nearly 60% from the same period a year earlier.
During his meeting with Modi, Putin praised the growth in bilateral trade between the two countries, although he acknowledged that trade volumes had recorded a slight decline last year.
Trade pressure on India has also come from U.S. President Donald Trump. In August 2025, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India in response to its energy trade with Russia, bringing total tariffs on some Indian exports to the U.S. to as much as 50%.
Those tariffs were later reduced to around 18% earlier this year. However, Washington has continued to push India to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and increase purchases of Venezuelan crude as an alternative.
India is now facing pressure from two directions: the need to maintain access to relatively cheap Russian energy and the risk of higher tariffs from the United States. If India begins cutting Russian oil purchases, global energy trade flows could shift significantly, affecting both oil prices and Russian exports. On the other hand, if New Delhi maintains large-scale imports, the risk of renewed trade tensions with Washington could rise again. (mrv)
Source: Newsmaker.id