Lavrov accuses US of trying to block India’s purchase of Russian oil
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Moscow: Russia on Monday accused the United States of attempting to prevent India and several other countries from purchasing Russian oil, alleging that Washington is employing a range of “coercive” measures, including tariffs, sanctions, and direct prohibitions, to pursue what it described as a goal of global economic dominance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also accused the US of using “unfair methods” to suppress competitors by imposing sanctions on Russian oil companies. Speaking in an interview with TV BRICS, Lavrov said the US was seeking to control Russia’s trade, investment cooperation, and military-technical ties with key strategic partners such as India and other BRICS members.
“The West is reluctant to relinquish its formerly dominant positions. With the arrival of the (US President Donald) Trump administration, this struggle to suppress competitors became particularly pronounced and open,” Lavrov said.
Referring to developments on Ukraine, Lavrov said Russia had accepted proposals made by the United States during talks held in Anchorage, Alaska, last year between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. “We were told that the Ukrainian issue must be resolved. In Anchorage, we accepted the United States’ proposal. They proposed, and we agreed—the problem should be solved,” he said.
Lavrov added that by accepting the proposals, Russia had essentially fulfilled the task of resolving the Ukraine issue and moving towards comprehensive, mutually beneficial cooperation. “In practice, however, the opposite is occurring,” he said, pointing to the imposition of new sanctions, attacks on oil tankers in international waters in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and efforts to discourage India and other partners from purchasing affordable Russian energy.
He noted that Europe had long been barred from buying Russian energy and was being forced to purchase American liquefied natural gas at significantly higher prices. “Thus, in the economic sphere, the US has effectively declared a goal of economic domination,” Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister further alleged that the US seeks to control global energy supply routes, including in Europe, where it monitors the Nord Stream pipelines, the Ukrainian gas transit system, and the TurkStream pipeline. He said the US objective of global economic dominance was being implemented through coercive measures inconsistent with fair competition, such as tariffs, sanctions, direct bans, and restrictions on communication with certain partners.
“While remaining open—like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil—to cooperation with all countries, including a major power such as the US, we are in a situation where the Americans themselves are creating artificial obstacles,” Lavrov said.
Last week, while announcing a trade deal with New Delhi, President Trump claimed that India had agreed not to procure crude oil from Russia. In an executive order, Trump rolled back an additional 25 per cent tariff imposed on India in August last year over its purchase of Russian crude. The order stated that the US would monitor whether India resumed Russian oil purchases, directly or indirectly, and that such a move could lead to the re-imposition of the 25 per cent tariff.
On Monday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India would continue to maintain multiple sources for crude oil procurement and diversify supplies to ensure stability in the supply chain, with national interest remaining the “guiding factor” in its purchasing decisions.
Lavrov also said Russia would actively support India’s chairmanship of BRICS, describing its current agenda as “modern” and “highly relevant”, with a focus on counter-terrorism and energy security. India formally assumed the BRICS chairmanship on January 1, 2026. The 10-member grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with five new members.
With PTI inputs
