‘They don’t care’: Trump says he will ‘substantially’ raise US tariff on India for buying Russian oil
US President Donald Trump on Monday criticised India for continuing to purchase Russian oil, accusing New Delhi of profiting from the war in Ukraine and warning that it will face a “substantial” increase in tariffs.In a post on Truth Social, the US President accused New Delhi of indifference to the conflict in Ukraine, stating: “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.”
The move comes amid broader frustration within the Trump administration over what it sees as India’s failure to align with Western efforts to isolate Russia. Trump’s remarks follow earlier warnings that India will be hit with a 25 per cent tariff and “a penalty” starting August 1 for buying Russian energy and defence equipment.Also read – Countering Trump’s 25% tariff impact on India: Modi government wants exporters to build & promote homegrown brandsWhite House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller early Monday had echoed Trump’s concerns during an interview on Fox News. “People would be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil,” Miller said, calling the situation “astonishing.” He also accused India of imposing “massive tariffs” on American goods and “cheating on immigration policies.”Also read: Trump’s aide accuses India of financing Russia’s war, calls it ‘unacceptable’Miller insisted that while Trump values his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “the US needs to get real about dealing with the financing of this war.”Last week, Trump said the US has a “massive trade deficit” with India, and slammed the country’s non-monetary trade barriers as the “most strenuous and obnoxious” in the world. He also accused India and Russia of dragging each other down economically: “They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”While Trump claimed India may have stopped buying Russian oil — “That’s what I heard… but I don’t know if that’s right or not” — Indian officials have not confirmed any such developmen, as reported by Bloomberg. On Friday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said decisions on energy purchases are based on market pricing and global conditions.Commerce minister Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, told Parliament that India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and will act to protect national interest.
