Trump Threatens India with Huge Tariffs Due to Russian Oil

SadaNews - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened India to maintain high tariffs imposed on Indian goods unless it stops importing Russian oil.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the latter informed him that India "will not deal with Russian oil."

Trump added that if New Delhi does not adhere to this, "it will continue to pay huge tariffs, which it does not want to," as he stated.

Trump's remarks came after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs denied knowledge of any phone conversation between Modi and Trump, but confirmed that its priority is "to protect the interests of the Indian consumer" in light of global energy price fluctuations.

The issue of Russian oil is one of the main points of contention between Washington and New Delhi, as the U.S. administration believes that oil revenues contribute to funding the Russian war in Ukraine, while India has become the largest buyer of seaborne Russian oil since the West imposed sanctions on Moscow in 2022.

India's imports of Russian oil in 2024 accounted for nearly 36% of its total crude oil imports, and buying Russian oil has allowed India to save billions of dollars in import costs, keeping domestic fuel prices relatively stable.

A White House official stated last week that India had cut its imports of Russian oil by half, although Indian sources denied that there had been any immediate reduction in the quantities imported.

On August 27, the United States imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of discounted Russian oil.