Lavrov accuses US of trying to prevent India and others from buying Russian oil
Moscow (PTI): Russia has accused the US of attempting to prevent India and other countries from buying Russian oil, saying Washington is using a wide range of "coercive" measures, including tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions, to fulfil its objective of global economic dominance.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also accused the US of using "unfair methods" to suppress competitors by imposing sanctions on Russian oil companies.
"(The US) is attempting to control our trade, investment cooperation, and military-technical ties with major strategic partners, such as India and other BRICS members," Lavrov said in an interview with TV BRICS on Monday.
He said that the West is reluctant to relinquish its formerly dominant positions. "With the arrival of the (US President Donald) Trump administration, this struggle to suppress competitors became particularly pronounced and open," he said.
Lavrov said that Russia accepted America's proposal on Ukraine during the Alaska talks between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Trump last year.
"We were told that the Ukrainian issue must be resolved. In Anchorage, we accepted the United States’ proposal. To put it straightforwardly, they proposed, and we agreed - the problem should be solved," he said.
"Having accepted their proposals, we essentially fulfilled the task of resolving the Ukrainian issue and moving toward comprehensive, broad, mutually beneficial cooperation," he added.
"In practice, however, the opposite occurs: new sanctions are imposed, attacks on tankers are staged in international waters in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and India and other partners are discouraged from purchasing affordable Russian energy, while Europe has long prohibited such purchases, forcing them to buy American liquefied natural gas at significantly higher prices. Thus, in the economic sphere, the US has effectively declared a goal of economic domination," he said.
Lavrov said that the US aims to control all energy supply routes for all leading countries across continents, including in Europe, where they monitor the Nord Stream pipelines, the Ukrainian gas transport system, and the TurkStream pipeline.
"I am highlighting this to emphasise that the US’ objective is global economic dominance, implemented through a wide range of coercive measures inconsistent with fair competition, including tariffs, sanctions, direct prohibitions, and even restrictions on communication for some partners. We must take all this into account," Lavrov said.
"While remaining open, just like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil, to cooperation with all countries, including a major power such as the US, we are in a situation where the Americans themselves are creating artificial obstacles along the way," he said.
Trump, while announcing a trade deal with New Delhi last week, claimed India agreed not to procure crude oil from Russia.
In an executive order, Trump rolled back an additional 25 per cent tariff on India that he imposed in August last for India's procurement of crude oil from Russia.
In the order, the US said it would monitor whether India resumed Russian oil purchases directly or indirectly, and that would determine whether a 25 per cent tariff would again be re-imposed.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India will maintain multiple sources for crude oil purchases and diversify them to ensure stability in the supply chain, with national interests remaining the "guiding factor" for the procurement.
Lavrov also said that Russia will actively support India's chairmanship of BRICS with its current agenda, which is "modern, highly-relevant" with an emphasis on counter-terrorism and energy security.
India formally assumed on January 1, 2026, the chairmanship of BRICS, a 10-member bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with five new members.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
Washington (AP): Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.
Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.
Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had "dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
