White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters on the White House on August 19, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP
“The President has put large public strain to convey this warfare to a detailed. He has taken actions as you seen sanctions on India and different actions as nicely. He has made himself very clear that he desires to see this warfare finish,” she added.
Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) accused India of “profiteering” by reselling Russian oil whereas sparing China for a similar, saying it has “diversified inputs of their oil.”
The remarks got here amid pressure in India-U.S. relations after Mr. Trump imposed tariffs totalling 50% on India. This consists of 25% for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil that may come into impact from August 27.
Also learn: 50% tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S. will scale back demand ‘very considerably’: Moody’s Analytics
While replying to a query on CNBC on the completely different remedy of China and India for buying Russian oil, Mr. Bessent mentioned China’s oil imports from Russia have elevated solely 3% submit the Russia-Ukraine warfare, whereas India’s oil imports from Russia have elevated over 40%.
“China’s importing (Russian oil) is suboptimal. If you return and look pre- 2022, pre-invasion (of Ukraine by Russia), 13% of China’s oil was already coming from Russia; now it’s 16%, so China has diversified inputs of their oil,” mentioned Mr. Bessent.
Mr. Bessent added that “lower than one per cent” of Indian oil was coming from Russia pre-invasion “and now I imagine it’s as much as 42%”.
“India is simply profiteering; they’re reselling… They made 16 billion in extra earnings… among the richest households in India. This is a totally completely different factor,” added Bessent. He additional mentioned that this “Indian arbitrage, shopping for low-cost oil and reselling it as a product, has simply sprung up in the course of the warfare… is simply unacceptable.”
Mr. Bessent made related feedback final week forward of the Trump-Putin assembly. In an interview with Bloomberg, he mentioned if “issues don’t go nicely” between Trump and Putin on the summit assembly, then secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil may go up.
India has known as the tariffs “unjustified and unreasonable”.
Trump ended India-Pakistan battle, says White House
The White House claimed that Mr. Trump has ended the navy battle between India and Pakistan.
“The President is utilizing the may of American energy to demand that respect from our allies, our pals, and our adversaries all world wide,” Ms. Leavitt mentioned at a press briefing.
She mentioned that it was seen not solely within the progress with Russia and Ukraine but in addition “within the closing of seven world conflicts world wide”.
“We’ve seen it with the tip of the battle between India and Pakistan, which may have resulted in a nuclear warfare if we had not had a President who believed within the energy and the leverage that comes with the job of being the President of the United States of America,” Ms. Leavitt mentioned.
In a solution to a different query, Ms. Leavitt mentioned that Mr. Trump used commerce “in a really highly effective approach as leverage” to convey the India-Pakistan battle to an finish.
Also learn: Trump ended conflicts together with India-Pakistan, ought to get Nobel Peace Prize: White House Press Secretary
Since May 10, when Mr. Trump introduced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and fast” ceasefire after a “lengthy evening” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his declare over 40 instances that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.
India has been persistently sustaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the 2 militaries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mentioned in Parliament that no chief of any nation requested India to cease Operation Sindoor.
Published – August 20, 2025 08:29 am IST
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