Sanctions against Russia just pretext for US to put pressure on India — ambassador

Russian Politics & Diplomacy September 24, 13:58

Denis Alipov noted that Russia is subject to more than 30,000 sanctions

NEW DELHI, September 24. /TASS/. The new US law on sanctions against Russia is another example of Washington’s attempts to put pressure on India under a pretext of burdening Moscow, Russian Ambassador to New Delhi Denis Alipov said at the Defcon 2026 security conference.

"Russia is subject to more than 30,000 sanctions. So one more or one less makes no difference. The US is well aware that these sanctions and such pressure will not change our goals," Alipov said, sparking a wave of applause from the audience.

"That is why this law is not directed against us, it is directed against our partners, such as India. And for India, it definitely matters. I am absolutely certain that the pressure – new laws, other forms of leverage or further sanctions packages – will continue and only intensify," the ambassador added.

Alipov said recent events demonstrate that. "First, disputes over tariffs under the bilateral trade agreement between India and the US and now the new sanctions law," the ambassador noted. "Russia is just a pretext here. The US will find another excuse in the future, because as India develops, it will cause increasing concern to the United States, which is attempting to preserve its global political and economic dominance."

"However, the global trend, including India’s transformation into a superpower and China’s rising influence, cannot be reversed. This is an objective process," Alipov concluded.

On September 18, US President Donald Trump signed a bill designed to tighten sanctions against Russia, providing for secondary restrictions against Russia’s trading partners, among other things. Under the document, the US may impose 100% import tariffs on countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas. India is among them. The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the republic’s authorities have conveyed to the US the possible consequences of the bill at both the bilateral and international levels and are determined to take all necessary measures to protect their interests.

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