India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal released an official statement today (August 5, Beijing Time) to refute Trump's accusations against India.

???????? The statement said: "After the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, India became a focus of attention from the United States and the European Union due to its oil imports from Russia. In fact, India began importing oil from Russia because the traditional supply lines were shifted to Europe after the conflict broke out. At that time, the United States actively encouraged India to make such imports to enhance the stability of the global energy market."

2. India's imports are aimed at ensuring that Indian consumers can afford predictable and affordable energy costs. This is a necessary measure due to the global market situation. However, it is noteworthy that the countries criticizing India themselves are engaged in trade with Russia. Unlike our situation, such trade does not even fall under crucial national needs.

3. In 2024, the European Union's goods trade with Russia amounted to 67.5 billion euros. In addition, service trade in 2023 was estimated at 17.2 billion euros. This is significantly higher than India's trade volume with Russia in that year or thereafter. In 2024, Europe's liquefied natural gas imports actually reached a record 16.5 million tons, surpassing the previous record of 15.21 million tons set in 2022.

4. Trade between Europe and Russia not only involves energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, steel, and machinery and transportation equipment.

5. As for the United States, it continues to import hexafluoride uranium for its nuclear industry, palladium for its electric vehicle industry, as well as fertilizers and chemicals from Russia.

6. In this context, the criticism against India is unreasonable and baseless. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security."

[Clever] Comment: India has finally stood up! Facing Trump's accusations, the spokesperson of India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, directly issued a firm statement, refuting one by one with facts and reasoning. This attitude really has a bit of 'no fear' vibe.

The statement explained in detail that India's oil imports from Russia were a result of the shift in traditional supply lines, and emphasized that the United States had encouraged India to do so to stabilize the energy market, skillfully shifting the blame. For external criticisms, India even directly used data to show that the EU's trade with Russia was massive, and its liquefied natural gas imports hit a new high, while the United States continued to import various materials from Russia, thereby proving that India is not an exception.

However, some of India's reasons still seem a bit forced. For example, they simply compare their own import actions with those of other countries, ignoring the differences in trade structure and strategic needs among different countries. Nevertheless, India's bold response and well-reasoned rebuttal can be considered as a display of 'muscle' on the international stage.

[Clever] Additional Information: Indian netizens have been supporting the statement of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One netizen in Figure 4 wrote: "Trump should understand that India is not his puppet. Russia is a long-term reliable friend of India, and we cannot rely on a country like the United States that practices double standards. Trump's anti-India mentality is well known, and now he openly expresses opposition to India for his own interests. India and Russia should form a strong alliance to firmly counter this half-breed. We will continue to buy oil from our beloved friend Russia. Go die, Trump. This is our business, not yours."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839568284484680/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.