The editorial in The Hindu criticizes the United States and the European Union for interference in India's sovereign foreign policy decisions. It welcomes the Ministry of External Affairs’ statement on August 4, which strongly objected to recent actions by the West, including U.S. penalty tariffs on Indian imports of Russian oil and EU sanctions on the Vadinar refinery, partly Russian-owned.

The editorial notes that this is the MEA’s first clear public response on the issue since the start of the Ukraine conflict. The statement denounces the Western measures as “unjustified and unreasonable,” particularly in light of continued U.S. and EU trade with Russia in areas like LNG and nuclear fuel. It also recalls that the U.S. had earlier encouraged India’s oil trade with Russia to help stabilize global markets.

The editorial interprets the MEA’s move, alongside recent remarks by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, as a sign of New Delhi’s mounting frustration with Washington over multiple issues, including immigration policy, trade negotiations, India’s BRICS membership, and Pakistan. It references Donald Trump’s comment that India has not been a “good trading partner,” possibly linked to India’s resistance to agricultural and food market access in trade talks.

Visits by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Moscow, in preparation for President Putin’s visit, are seen as reinforcing India’s message of strategic autonomy. While expressing concern about India’s readiness to face growing Western pressure, the editorial hopes for continued engagement with the U.S. and EU — but firmly reiterates that India’s foreign policy must remain independent, regardless of its strong bilateral relationships.