U.S. President Donald Trump says he’ll considerably increase tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases

Less than every week after he introduced a 25% tariff on imports from India “plus a penalty”, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (August 4, 2025) as soon as once more raised the problem of India shopping for oil from Russia and making the most of it. He acknowledged that he can be “considerably” elevating the tariff “paid by India to the USA”. 

It is vital to notice that such tariffs are paid by importers within the U.S., somewhat than the nation on which the tariffs are levied. 

“India will not be solely shopping for huge quantities of Russian Oil, they’re then, for a lot of the Oil bought, promoting it on the Open Market for large earnings,” Mr. Trump posted on the social community Truth Social. “They don’t care how many individuals in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I shall be considerably elevating the Tariff paid by India to the USA. [sic]” 

Responding to Mr. Trump’s newest announcement, New Delhi mentioned, “Targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any main economic system, India will take all needed measures to safeguard its nationwide pursuits and financial safety.”

An official assertion late on Monday (August 4, 2025) mentioned, “India has been focused by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the graduation of the Ukraine battle. In reality, India started importing from Russia as a result of conventional provides have been diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the battle. The United States at the moment actively inspired such imports by India for strengthening world vitality markets stability.”

The assertion added that India’s imports have been meant to make sure predictable and reasonably priced vitality prices to the Indian client and that they have been a necessity compelled by world market scenario.

“However, it’s revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in commerce with Russia. Unlike our case, such commerce will not be even a significant nationwide compulsion,” the assertion mentioned. “The European Union in 2024 had a bilateral commerce of Euro 67.5 billion in items with Russia. In addition, it had commerce in companies estimated at Euro 17.2 billion in 2023. This is considerably greater than India’s complete commerce with Russia that 12 months or subsequently. European imports of LNG in 2024, actually, reached a report 16.5mn tonnes, surpassing the final report of 15.21mn tonnes in 2022.”

“Europe-Russia commerce contains not simply vitality, but additionally fertilizers, mining merchandise, chemical compounds, iron and metal and equipment and transport gear. Where the United States is anxious, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear trade, palladium for its EV trade, fertilizers in addition to chemical compounds. In this background, the concentrating on of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any main economic system, India will take all needed measures to safeguard its nationwide pursuits and financial safety,” the assertion mentioned.

The U.S. President had on July 31 signed an government order that authorised a 25% tariff on imports from India. A day earlier, he had posted on Truth Social that he can be imposing this tariff plus a penalty “as a result of their [India’s] tariffs are far too excessive, among the many highest on the planet, they usually have probably the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary commerce boundaries of any nation”. 

Apart from this, he additionally cited India’s vitality and army gear purchases from Russia as an irritant.

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Following this announcement, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal knowledgeable each Houses of Parliament that the federal government was “finding out the implications” of Mr. Trump’s announcement, consulting all of the related home stakeholders, and would “take all steps essential to safe our nationwide curiosity”.

The 25% tariff locations India at a relative drawback in comparison with a few of its opponents comparable to Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, and the Philippines. So far, Mr. Trump’s new tariffs are anticipated to take impact from August 7.