On our 79th Independence Day, we celebrate sovereignty that isn’t up for sale — to tariffs, to sanctions, or to sanctimony. The West can rage-tweet, sanction, or reposition submarines; India will still decide its partners, its energy security, and its future.
1) Independence, Not Permission Slips
Today marks 79 years of independence. That independence includes the right to trade with whomever we choose — no permission slips from Brussels or Washington required.
2) The U.S. Tariff Squeeze — and Submarine Theatre
In early August 2025, the U.S. President imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over our Russian oil purchases, bringing effective duties on some exports up to 50% (effective 21 days after August 6).
At the same time, he ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines repositioned as a warning to Russia. That’s not diplomacy; that’s theatre.
India’s answer has been consistent: energy security for 1.4 billion people is non-negotiable, our imports are market-based, and unilateral tariffs are “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”
3) The EU’s Sanctions — and Its Double Standard
The EU’s 18th Russia sanctions package (July 18, 2025) reached outside Russia to hit India’s Nayara Energy refinery — with finance, shipping and product restrictions that squeeze supply chains. Even Moscow’s Rosneft (a shareholder) called it an attack on India’s energy security.
Meanwhile, Europe and the U.S. still do substantial trade with Russia:
- The EU imported €297 billion in Russian goods since January 2022, including oil, nickel, gas, fertilizer, iron and steel.
- The U.S. “Russian uranium ban” includes waivers until 2027/2028 to keep nuclear reactors fueled.
Spare us the lectures.
Reality check: Despite sanctions, Nayara’s refinery continues operating and is coordinating with Indian authorities to maintain supply to 6,600+ outlets — a reminder that India’s energy system won’t be dictated from abroad.
4) On Pakistan’s Nuclear Sabre-Rattling (In the U.S.)
During a recent U.S. visit, Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir reportedly made nuclear-tinged threats, including talk of “taking half the world down” and signalling India’s Jamnagar refinery.
5) A Short Memory About “Who Destabilized the World”
Let’s remember where the last two world wars began: in Europe —
- World War I (1914) — sparked by the assassination in Sarajevo and Europe’s entangled alliances.
- World War II (1939) — triggered by Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland.
The lesson for 2025 is simple: moral grandstanding rings hollow when history is this loud.
6) The Line You Came For
Sanctions? Tariffs? Oh, you mean “21st-century diplomacy” — how delightfully outdated.
Today we celebrate not just sovereignty, but the right to ignore condescending lectures dressed up as policy — while we buy energy where it’s affordable, sell where it’s profitable, and partner where it’s strategic.
7) India’s Position, In One Breath
We choose our friends, we secure our energy, we won’t be bullied, and we won’t outsource our foreign policy — not to a tweet, not to a tariff, and not to a sanctions memo.
Happy Independence Day.
