The Daily Populous Sunday December 7th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by indiatoday.in and submitted by chodyou

Calling out Donald Trump's hypocrisy, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that the US continues to purchase uranium from Russia, key to producing nuclear reactor fuel, while pressuring India to stop energy imports from Moscow. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Putin, who arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit, emphasised that India should enjoy the same privilege if the US had the right to purchase fuel from Russia.

"The US continues to buy nuclear fuel from us for their nuclear power plants. That is also fuel. Energy. This is uranium for nuclear power plants that are functioning in the US," Putin said in the interview ahead of his first visit to India in four years.

Russia is the second-largest supplier of enriched uranium to the US, accounting for about 25% of the sales. It is expected to pocket around $1.2 billion from uranium sales to America this year. In 2024, Russia earned approximately $800 million from uranium exports to the US.

Framing the issue as one of fairness and strategic balance, Putin said he would discuss the matter with Trump.

"If the US has the right to purchase fuel from us, why should India be deprived of such a right? That is a matter to be studied closely, and we are prepared to discuss that and debate that with President Trump," Putin underscored.

Catch live updates of his visit to India

In the interview, Putin maintained that Russia's energy partnership with India was steady and untouched by Western sanctions. "Our energy cooperation with India remains unaffected by current conditions, fleeting political swings or indeed the tragic events in Ukraine," the Russian strongman asserted.

Putin's pointed remarks come at a time when India has been under pressure from Trump to cut back on its imports of Russian oil. The US has claimed that it enables Russia to withstand the pressure of economic sanctions by the West and continue its war against Ukraine, which is set to enter its fourth year.

In August, Trump imposed an additional tariff of 25% on India, taking the total levy to 50%, for buying Russian oil. The issue deteriorated ties between the two allies, but has been on an upswing since then. Russia accounts for 35% of India's crude oil imports, compared to 1-2% before the Ukraine war.

The Ministry of External Affairs had previously called out the double standards of the US, pointing out that America continued to import uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry and palladium for EVs from Moscow.

WHAT PUTIN SAID ON MODI, UKRAINE WAR

During the 100-minute-long interview, Putin also praised PM Modi's leadership style and his 'Make in India' initiative, calling it a "practical" and powerful force shaping Russia–India cooperation. "PM Modi is a very reliable person. India got lucky. He lives and breathes India," Putin said.

On the Ukraine war, Putin stressed that Kyiv started the conflict under the influence of the West, and Moscow would finish it after achieving its goals.

Published By: Priya Pareek Published On: Dec 4, 2025

PaxNova on December 7th, 2025 at 02:13 UTC »

If you'd all prefer, we can stop buying their weapons grade material and let them use it for other things.

This is not for uranium dug out of the ground. This is for uranium removed from weapons and down blended to reactor grade use.

Explorer335 on December 7th, 2025 at 02:08 UTC »

The Megatons to Megawatts program isn't just about sourcing fuel for our reactors. The primary purpose is nuclear disarmament. Buying up all that surplus weapons-grade nuclear fuel to prevent it from being stolen or sold to dangerous 3rd parties. It's not a coincidence that the program began right after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union had 30,000 nuclear weapons when it collapsed in 1991. That presented an enormous security and proliferation risk. The best option to reduce that number is to offer a lucrative deal that involves dismantling those weapons and buying the uranium or plutonium from them for peaceful reactors. Everybody wins.

TheSharpestHammer on December 7th, 2025 at 01:37 UTC »

Imma just say it, I really don't think this Putin fella is a very good guy.