Picture this: A bombastic American president, fresh off a controversial re-election, struts into the White House claiming he single-handedly averted a nuclear apocalypse between India and Pakistan. His cheerleader? None other than Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir, who, in a June 2025 White House lunch schmooze, personally endorsed Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. “I stopped the war," Trump boasted, crediting himself with brokering a ceasefire during the tense India-Pakistan standoff earlier that year. Sounds like a script from a high-stakes Bollywood drama, complete with shadowy alliances and ego-driven plot twists. But in the real-world theatre of 2025 geopolitics, this “bonhomie" isn’t just bizarre – it’s a red flag for India. As New Delhi fortifies its borders against Islamabad’s perennial provocations, energy security emerges as the unsung shield in our arsenal. Russian oil, discounted and dependable, isn’t a luxury; it’s the fuel keeping India’s economic engine roaring and its defences primed. Yet, as Trump threatens tariffs and the West lectures us on morality, India’s stance is clear: We’ll safeguard our interests, hypocrisy be damned.

This isn’t hyperbole. On August 4, 2025, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson delivered a masterclass in diplomatic rebuttal, targeting the United States and European Union for their selective outrage over India’s Russian oil imports. The statement, issued amid escalating US pressure, reminded the world that India ramped up these imports post the Ukraine conflict because traditional Middle Eastern supplies were diverted to Europe. Far from a sneaky manoeuvre, this shift was actively encouraged by the US back in 2022 to stabilise global energy markets. Remember those days? When Western leaders, including then President Joe Biden, quietly nodded as India scooped up discounted Russian crude to prevent skyrocketing prices worldwide. Fast-forward to Trump 2.0, and the tune has flipped: Now, India’s purchases are labelled as “financing Russia’s war," with Trump’s top aide Stephen Miller declaring it “not acceptable." Trump himself vowed to “substantially raise" tariffs on Indian goods – potentially slapping 50 per cent duties on everything from steel to textiles – unless India halts the flow.

But let’s peel back the........

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