As Washington sharpens its rhetoric against Moscow, threatening secondary sanctions on countries continuing trade with Russia, India has found itself squarely in the geopolitical spotlight. But rather than retreat under pressure, India is doing what any sovereign nation should: standing firm in defense of its national interest.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have rightly emphasized that India’s energy security cannot be hostage to geopolitical double standards. With oil imports diversified across 40 countries and a clear policy of sourcing based on affordability and availability, India’s position is pragmatic—not provocative.

The immediate provocation came from two fronts. First, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50-day deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine, threatening secondary sanctions on its trade partners, including India. Second, NATO chief Mark Rutte joined the chorus, urging Delhi to “do more” in isolating Russia, with a thinly veiled warning of economic consequences.

Let’s be clear: this pressure is not rooted in moral clarity but in Western frustration. Two years of sanctions have failed to cripple the Russian economy, largely because of continued trade with India, China, Brazil, and others. For the West, India is a convenient pressure point. But for India, this is a test of strategic maturity.

India’s imports of Russian crude—$4.42 billion in May 2025 alone—have brought tangible economic benefits: cheaper fuel, controlled inflation, and stability for a growing economy. Even as India trades with Russia, it continues to strengthen its ties with the U.S., particularly in technology, defense, and clean energy. These are not contradictions—they are the realities of a multipolar world.

Ironically, the proposed U.S. sanctions would do more harm to Washington’s own interests than to India’s. They would derail ongoing trade negotiations, weaken trust between two key democracies, and risk isolating India at a time when counterbalancing China is supposedly a shared priority. Not to mention, such a move could roil global oil markets, hurting American and European consumers alike.

India must now walk a careful line—but not a submissive one. This is a moment to assert energy sovereignty, deepen strategic autonomy, and work with other like-minded countries to resist unilateral economic coercion.

The world is no longer unipolar. India is no longer peripheral. And in this emerging order, no country—however powerful—should expect others to choose between principle and pragmatism. India will choose both. And it will choose them on its own terms.