NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Friday rejected suggestions of any strain in India-Russia relations following sharp attacks from US President Donald Trump, who questioned the economic and strategic ties between the two countries.Responding to questions at the weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. India and Russia have a steady and time-tested partnership.”Asked about defence cooperation, Jaiswal added: “The sourcing of our defence requirements is determined solely by our national security imperatives and strategic assessments.”The MEA’s response came a day after Trump criticised both countries on his social media platform, Truth Social.“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump posted. “We have done very little business with India — their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together.”