Amid Trump's Trade 'Threat', Doval Meets Putin In Moscow; Discusses Strengthening India-Russia Strategic Partnership

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo credit: Kremlin video)

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a day after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, taking the total tariff burden to 50 percent in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of oil from the Kremlin.

In a post on social media platform X, the Russian Embassy in India confirmed the meeting, saying, “Russia’s President Vladimir Putin received India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval at the Kremlin.”

#WATCH | Russian Embassy in India tweets, "Russia’s President Vladimir Putin received India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval at the Kremlin."

(Video: Russian Embassy in India/X) pic.twitter.com/vK72xyUW4Y

— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025

Before his meeting with President Putin, NSA Doval held talks with Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergey Shoigu. The two sides discussed ways to further deepen the Russia-India "special and privileged strategic partnership" and stressed the importance of coordinated efforts in preparing for the upcoming bilateral summit scheduled for later this year.

They also discussed cooperation between Russia and India in multilateral formats and exchanged views on key issues of international security.

India and Russia continue to be close and time-tested partners, collaborating on a range of key defense and strategic initiatives. These include the supply of S-400 air defense systems, MiG-29 fighter jets, and joint production of AK-203 rifles and BrahMos missiles in India—projects that underline the depth of bilateral defense cooperation.

Tensions have flared between India and the United States after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent duty on Indian imports, citing India's ongoing oil trade with Russia. The move takes the total duty on Indian goods to 50 per cent.

The newly announced duties will take effect 21 days after the signing of the order and will apply to all eligible Indian imports arriving in the US, except for consignments that are already in transit and have received clearance before September 17.

The US administration has cited India's ongoing oil trade with Russia as the reason for the new trade barriers. India, however, has protested this as selective pressure and argued that it is being unfairly targeted by Washington and Brussels.

New Delhi has cited the EU's trade ties with Moscow, saying the EU records a projected 67.5 billion euros in goods trade with Russia in 2024 and a projected 17.2 billion euros in services trade in 2023 - figures that underline continued economic engagement despite the Ukraine conflict.

Shortly after announcing the tariffs, Trump signaled the possibility of “secondary sanctions” on New Delhi. 

"It's only been 8 hours. So let's see what happens. You're going to see a lot more... You're going to see so much secondary sanctions," Trump said during a White House press briefing.

(With ANI Inputs)