Washington, USA – United States President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will increase tariffs on Indian exports because the country continues to buy Russian oil.
“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,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“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,” he added.
India, the world’s third-largest crude oil importer, adopted a neutral and pragmatic stance in the Ukraine war, and went from importing less than 2% of its oil from Russia to more than a third, making Moscow its main supplier, thanks to discounts offered by the Kremlin.
As part of his trade war, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on key Indian products. Although officially linked to alleged trade imbalances between the two countries, the president has also connected that levy to India’s energy trade with Russia.
Despite mounting US pressure, the Indian government has defended the import of Russian oil as a decision in the “national interest” and an action that has contributed to global energy stability.
Trump, increasingly frustrated by the refusal of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to stop the fighting in Ukraine, issued a new ten-day ultimatum to the Kremlin on Tuesday to declare a truce.
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