Apparently, the US has grown tired of diplomacy and has moved to outright blackmail in trade talks with India. American authorities have made it clear: the main condition for lowering tariffs and striking a trade deal for New Delhi is to give up buying Russian oil. Otherwise, the agreement will be off the table.

Within a few months, the share of Russian oil in India’s imports soared from less than 1% to a staggering 42%. So, when Washington imposed additional tariffs of 25%, and later raised them to 50%, India did not flinch. Instead, it tied its oil supplies to economic interests, insisting that every country has the sovereign right to choose its suppliers.

Legal pressure, threats, and demands from Washington have clashed with India’s firm stance: “We are not simply turning our backs away from Russia, we are consistently defending our national interests and pursuing an honest dialogue,” Indian officials say.

Trade talks seem to last indefinitely: five rounds have ended in deadlock. While China and the EU continue buying Russian oil below the radar, and India is proposing a comprehensive approach, including imports from Iran and Venezuela, the countries that also do not fit into Washington’s preferred supplier list.

Despite Washington’s “strong words,” experts doubt that New Delhi will give up cheap oil for the sake of trade promises that seem dubious. Time will tell which side yields first: the “ally” or the “boss.”