India's 'prisoner's dilemma' in Trump's 'game of chicken' on Russian oil purchase

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER S Jaishankar may have expressed surprise over the additional 25% US tariff slapped on India over energy imports from Russia, reiterating that "it was the Americans" who said "we should do everything to stabilise the world's energy markets, including buying oil from Russia".

- ANIL SASI

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER S Jaishankar may have expressed surprise over the additional 25% US tariff slapped on India over energy imports from Russia, reiterating that "it was the Americans" who said "we should do everything to stabilise the world's energy markets, including buying oil from Russia". There is, however, a growing realisation in New Delhi's policy circles that India may have ended up becoming a "soft target" to pressure Russia into ending the Ukraine war — collateral damage in US President Donald Trump's ambition to squeeze Russia's crude exports and pressurise Moscow to get on to the negotiating table for ending the war in Europe.