Trump threatens to raise tariffs on India over Russian oil trade

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to substantially raise tariffs on India for buying Russian oil alleged that New Delhi is reselling it on the open market for significant profits.

Trump said in a social media post on Truth Social,, “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.”

He reiterated his administration’s accusation that New Delhi is financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing oil and military equipment from the Kremlin.

Trump added, “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 tariff warning came just days after he imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, along with an unspecified penalty related to its trade with Russia.

Trump had claimed that he had heard India would stop purchasing Russian crude oil.

Indian government sources swiftly refuted this, clarifying that Indian refiners would continue to buy oil from Russia. The decision, they said, is driven by economic considerations, including price, crude grade, and logistical factors.

Government officials also outlined the rationale behind India’s continued energy ties with Russia, noted that Russia is the world’s second-largest crude oil producer, with an output of about 9.5 million barrels per day (nearly 10% of global supply), and the second-largest exporter, supplying 4.5 million barrels per day of crude and 2.3 million barrels per day of refined products.

India Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India’s stance, saying energy sourcing decisions are based on market dynamics and national interest.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a regular briefing said “As far as sourcing India’s energy requirements is concerned, we take decisions based on the price at which oil is available in the international market and depending on the global situation at that time during.

He declined to comment when asked specifically about Trump’s claim.