A test for India and a test for the United States: The heat between Trump and Modi is not about oil

Alexey Pushkov. Photo: Vladimir Trefilov / RIA Novosti
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The tension between the United States and India is not just friction over the purchase of Russian oil. This was announced by Senator Alexei Pushkov.

So he commented on an article in The Economist magazine that US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are on the verge of conflict.

It is noted that Trump's discontent with New Delhi over the purchase of Russian oil and the trade deficit threatens new tariffs and undermines relations with India. New Delhi, in turn, intensifies the rhetoric of sovereignty and refuses to make concessions, while sending high-ranking officials to Moscow.

"This is a test for India on its sovereignty, on the one hand, and a test for the waning hegemony of the United States, which Trump wants to preserve through the use of sanctions, on the other hand. By and large, this is one of the stages in the formation of a multipolar world," Pushkov writes in his telegram channel.

Meanwhile, today, US President Donald Trump imposed duties of 25% on India due to the purchase of oil from Russia. The relevant decree is called "Countering threats to the United States from the Government of the Russian Federation." As a result, the total amount of US duties for India will be 50%, CNBC reports.

"The Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing oil from The Russian Federation," Trump explained his decision.

New Delhi called the imposed duties "unfair, unreasonable and unacceptable." "It is extremely regrettable that the United States has decided to impose additional duties on India for actions that a number of other countries are also taking," the country's Foreign Ministry said. India expressed its readiness to take the necessary measures to protect its national interests.