India, Sept. 7 -- US treasury secretary Scott Bessent thinks more sanctions on Russia and the countries that buy oil from it - which prominently includes India - can bring about its economic "collapse". Only such a collapse will bring Vladimir Putin back to the table and have peace talks with Ukraine, Bessent argued in an interview with NBC on Sunday.

In his reference to "countries that buy Russian oil", Bessent did not name any as such, but India remains the biggest target of US tariffs over this issue. This is despite a recent thaw which saw President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi underlining their mutual appreciation and friendship through the press and social media.

"We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian milita...