US President Donald Trump has done more than threatening to impose high import tariffs on products from a number of countries that are Russia’s trading partners. Such tariffs have been effectively imposed, for example, on India which is Russia’s privileged strategic partner and a major consumer of Russian goods, particularly hydrocarbons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

“We appreciate the fact that New Delhi had not bowed down to pressure and maintains its commitment to free trade principles. The Americans have gone back on every principle they’ve been extolling for many years, if not decades. For our [i.e. Russia] part, we operate on the premise that bilateral relations with any country have a value of their own. We never make friends with anyone to oppose a third party,” Lavrov added in an interview with Indonesian newspaper Kompas.

“We will continue to develop equal and mutually beneficial practical cooperation with everyone who is ready to work with us based on similar principles, which includes the overwhelming majority of the countries from the Global South and the Global East,” noted the Russian FM.