India hits out at NATO Chief, warns against 'double standards'

India's External Affairs Ministry on Thursday cautions against 'double standards', hitting back against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Chief's warning of potential secondary sanctions on India for keeping trade ties with Russia. 

The US lawmakers are considering a bill that will likely impose 500% duties on India and other countries that buy Russian oil. US President Donald Trump also backs the Russian Sanctions Act, which Senator Lindsey Graham is introducing. He has also threatened 100% secondary tariffs on the countries that continue buying sanctioned Russian products. 

During a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us." He warned against double standards, adding, "In this endeavor, we are guided by what is available in the markets and also by prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter." 

#WATCH | Delhi | On Nato chief Mark Rutte's comment that countries buying Russian oil could face secondary sanctions, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that securing the energy… pic.twitter.com/SdhmWRQYLL

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2025

The remarks by MEA come after NATO Chief Mark Rutte, while addressing a press conference in Washington, alongside US Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen, urged India, China, and Brazil to reconsider their economic ties with Russia, or face '100 percent secondary sanctions' if the latter doesn't commit to peace talks with Ukraine. 

Rutte repeated America's stance as stated by Trump earlier this week. The NATO Chief said, "My encouragement to these three countries, particularly, is that if you live now in Beijing or New Delhi, or you are the President of Brazil, you might want to take a look at this, because this might hit you very hard." 

Rutte further urged these countries to build pressure on Russia to engage in talks, stating, "Please make a phone call to Vladimir Putin, and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India, and on China, in a massive way." 

Donald Trump had earlier announced to supply Ukraine with additional military equipment, including air defence systems, missiles, and ammunition. He had also given a 50-day deadline to Russia to enter into peace negotiations with Ukraine, or face severe sanctions.