The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on August 20–21, will travel to Moscow to meet with Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart. The United States' decision to impose an additional 25 pc tariff on Indian goods because of New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil has resulted in increased trade tensions, which are the backdrop for this visit.
President Donald Trump announced the US tariffs. He signed an executive order on August 6 that increased the overall import duty to 50 pc for many goods by imposing an extra 25 pc tariff on Indian imports. There are two stages to the implementation of this new tariff measure. While the second 25 pc penalty is scheduled to take effect on August 27 unless negotiations take place, the first 25 pc tariff went into effect on August 7.
In the days leading up to Jaishankar's visit, there have been several high-level diplomatic engagements. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a detailed telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the call, the leaders discussed the developments in Ukraine, with PM Modi reaffirming India's consistent position in favour of a peaceful resolution. They also reviewed bilateral relations and reiterated their commitment to deepening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' between India and Russia.
Also Read: Modi govt forced world to wake up to terrorism: Jaishankar in RS
Prior to this, last week, just one day after President Trump announced the increased tariffs on Indian imports, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met with President Putin in Moscow.
The US tariffs have been vehemently denounced by the Indian government. Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, called the tariffs "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable" and threatened to take "all actions necessary" to protect its economic sovereignty.
Given that it still imports some goods from Russia, the US has come under fire for allegedly applying unfair standards. According to reports, the United States has persisted in importing Russian fertilisers, palladium, and uranium hexafluoride despite exerting pressure on India.
Also Read: Doval meets Russia's First Deputy PM, discusses military ties
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