'Declarations of war against Russia': Ex-Foreign Secretary on Bessent's tariff threat against Moscow

Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Monday slammed US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for his latest tariff threat against Russia.

He said that statements like these are "declarations of war against Russia". Sibal, who has also served as India's Ambassador to Russia, hinted that Moscow would not tolerate quietly if its economy is pushed to the brink of collapse.

"These are, in fact, declarations of war against Russia. Will Russia sit idly by if its economy is pushrod on the verge of collapse? Will this prospect push Russia to the negotiating table or create the conditions for a war with NATO?" the former Foreign Secretary of India wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 

Sibal further claimed that Bessent is not speaking only on his behalf, while making a jibe at US President Donald Trump. He added that India should drawn its own lesson from this episode. 

"Bessent is not speaking only on his behalf. The Nobel Peace prize aspirant is behind this. People in power in the US are dangerous. If they can threaten in this manner a formidable nuclear power, India should draw a lesson from this about its own vulnerability," Sibal wrote. 

In an interview with NBC News, Bessent called for the Trump administration and Europe to exert additional economic pressure on Russia. He said that this could force President Vladimir Putin to go ahead with peace talks in Ukraine. 

He also called for more sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries doing trade with Moscow. "If the US and the (European Union) can come in, do more sanctions, secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will be in full collapse, and that will bring President Putin to the table," Bessent said on NBC's Meet the Press.