RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS CAUTIONED WASHINGTON AGAINST TRYING TO STRONG-ARM INDIA AND CHINA WITH TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS, SAYING SUCH TACTICS ARE OUTDATED AND INEFFECTIVE. (PHOTO).

 Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned Washington against trying to strong-arm India and China with tariffs and sanctions, saying such tactics are outdated and ineffective. 

Speaking after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China, Putin said, “You cannot talk to India or China in that way,” and accused the US of using economic pressure to weaken two of Asia’s largest powers.

Calling India and China “partners,” Putin noted that both nations had faced difficult histories, including colonialism, which shaped their political instincts. “When somebody tells you they are going to punish you, you have to think—how can the leadership of those big countries react? If one shows weakness, his career will be over,” he said, adding that Washington’s rhetoric resembled “colonial-era thinking.”

Putin’s remarks came as US President Donald Trump announced fresh sanctions on India for continuing to buy Russian oil, warning that “phase two” and “phase three” sanctions could follow. Trump said the measures had already cost Moscow “hundreds of billions of dollars” and added, “Two weeks ago, I said, if India buys, India’s got big problems, and that’s what happens.”

At the SCO Summit, Putin also praised India’s role in seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict. “We highly value the efforts and proposals of China, India, and our other strategic partners aimed at facilitating the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” he said. Despite rising tensions, Putin expressed confidence that “things will be sorted out” and normal political dialogue would resume.