India’s continued purchase of weapons and energy from Russia is raising difficulties in its relationship with the United States that are extending across the Indo-Pacific. This is not just a bilateral irritant. It has implications for the effectiveness of the Quad, regional stability and the long-term challenge of constraining China’s ambitions. The US-India relationship has always required careful handling, but the return of Donald Trump to the presidency has brought fresh volatility. Trump’s frustration with the ongoing war in Ukraine—and with countries he views as insufficiently supportive of US efforts to isolate Russia—is now focused on India.
His administration is reportedly considering secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil, and India’s substantial increase in Russian energy imports is drawing fire. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, India bought more than €200 billion worth of fossil fuels from Russia between the start of the full-scale attack on Ukraine and March 2025. Russian oil has grown from less than 1 percent to around 40 percent of India’s crude imports.
On defence, while India has diversified procurement—signing major deals with the US,
France and Israel—Russian arms still accounted for 36 percent of its military imports in 2020–24. Under the Biden administration, there were already concerns over India’s ties with Moscow and its muted response to the 2022 assault of Ukraine. But Washington largely chose to work around those differences to preserve the broader strategic partnership. With Trump back in the Oval Office and with Russia’s war in Ukraine enduring, tolerance has understandably thinned. Yet India’s Russia relationship is not easily cast aside. Moscow has been a key supplier of arms and a strategic partner for decades. Indian officials remain clear-eyed about this legacy.
They are pursuing what they call a ‘measured, calibrated, and professional’ approach towards the US. India continues to hope for a bilateral trade agreement with the US, aiming to lift trade from US$200 billion to US$500 billion by 2030. But India’s patience has not been matched by Trump’s rhetoric. His claims of mediating India-Pakistan ceasefires were poorly received in New Delhi. The imposition of tariffs and punitive measures—partly due to India’s ties with Moscow—has had the unintended effect of uniting India’s political left and right in scepticism towards the US.Despite the severe damage to the relationship, a permanent breakdown is unlikely.
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