NEW DELHI, August 11. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump's policy toward India will neither destabilize BRICS nor cause New Delhi's relations with Moscow to deteriorate, Subhashish Banerjee, the founder and head of Strategy P3, an Indian think tank, told TASS.
According to him, "the friendship between India and Russia goes back to the ages when India was not even a considerable military power or a respectable economy." "When India was in a true state of crisis, if not any Russia has always stood by our side as a true ally," the expert noted. "Russia and India's relationship is not just about oil or commodities of exchange, but about thoughtful thoughtful engagement that drills down deep into our cultural bonding and welfare mindset," Banerjee emphasized.
"This kind of trust and diplomatic bridge can only be constructed through dedicated involvements and a sense of mutual responsibilities which takes time to build. Thus, India will not back away from its engagements with Russia, and we look forward to further diversifying our relationship," he added.
Commenting on the prospects for BRICS development against the backdrop of US actions, the expert pointed out that the association "has the power and potential to change the world order." "In this present world, every small and big nation is getting habituated to talk in the dialect of respect and cooperation. Considering the same, BRICS is the biggest opportunity for many of the countries to grow in a new dimension and flourish," Banerjee opined.
In his opinion, "BRICS has a deep structure and constitution, which is enough to disabilize the mindset of the West." According to the expert, the current problems caused by US actions that all BRICS countries may face in the near future are temporary. "This should not stop us from setting tones of mutually beneficial goals," he said.
Relations with the US
Speaking about the actions of the US, the expert pointed out that it is difficult to understand the need for such a policy. According to him, the current US trade policy "may have a long-term negative effect on the US economy." "The United States might lose its diplomatic brand value to the world," Banerjee noted.
"The US has a history of intervening in the sovereignty of many nations and putting up a favorable narrative of its own. The US has always been overly enthusiastic in the case of Iraq, Afghanistan, and most recently, Iran, but has failed to achieve any convincing results in any of these invasions, no matter what narrative they tried to use as an excuse," the expert stressed.
The US administration imposed an additional 25% tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil. Considering Washington's previous decision to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods, the tariff for India will now total 50%. Trump previously stated that India has always purchased most of its military equipment from Russia, making it, along with China, one of the largest buyers of Russian energy resources. The Indian Foreign Ministry called the attacks by the US and the EU over Russian oil imports unjustified, as Western countries had previously encouraged such trade and continue to purchase goods and services from Russia themselves.