Trump accuses India of fueling war machine, warns of ‘very substantial’ tariffs
China is the largest buyer of Russian oil; in 2024, imported $62.6 billion worth of Russian oil, compared to India's $52.7 billion. Despite this, Trump criticized India, ignoring China's bigger role -- Global Trade Research Initiative.
U.S. President Donald Trump today threatened to sharply raise tariffs on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil. He accused India of undermining Western sanctions by buying crude from Moscow and reselling it for profit.
“India has not been a good trading partner,” Trump said during a televised CNBC interview. “They do a lot of business with us, but we don’t do business with them. We settled on 25 percent (tariffs), but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially in the next 24 hours — because they’re buying Russian oil.”
His remarks come just a day after making similar accusations, escalating trade tensions between the two countries. Trump alleged that India was indirectly supporting Russia’s war efforts and profiting from energy trade amid the conflict in Ukraine.
India swiftly rejected the allegations, with the Ministry of External Affairs calling such criticism hypocritical. In a strongly worded statement, India argued that its imports of Russian crude were driven by economic necessity amid global supply disruptions — not by profit motives.
“The very countries criticizing us continue their own trade with Russia, despite such trade not being a vital compulsion,” the ministry said, pointing to European Union trade with Moscow, which totaled €67.5 billion ($78 billion) in 2024 — including record imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) reaching 16.5 million metric tons.
India further emphasized that it would “take all necessary measures” to protect its national interests and economic security.
The friction between the U.S. and India has been building since July 31, when Trump first imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods and hinted at further penalties for continued oil dealings with Russia.
With high-level diplomatic talks expected, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is scheduled to visit Russia this week, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is also likely to make a visit soon.
Analysts warn that the growing trade dispute could have broader economic implications for India, especially if U.S. tariffs are escalated further.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that while Trump targets India, he spares China despite it buying more Russian oil.
China is the largest buyer of Russian oil. In 2024, China imported $62.6 billion worth of Russian oil, compared to India’s $52.7 billion. Despite this, Trump has focused his criticism on India, ignoring China’s bigger role, according to a recent report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).
GTRI stated, “Trump appears unwilling to criticize China, perhaps because of geopolitical calculations, and instead targets India unfairly”.
The report also rejects Trump’s recent claim posted on Truth Social, where he alleged that India is “buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it on the open market for big profits.” GTRI clarified that this statement is factually incorrect and misleading.
