Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of exerting illegal trade pressure on India after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened again to raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil.

White House official says India ‘basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil’ as Delhi defies sanctions threat

Russia hears many statements that are essentially threats and attempts to force countries to sever trade ties with us,” Peskov said. He added that, in Moscow’s view, “sovereign states must have the right to independently choose their trade partners and the format of economic cooperation,