WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump said on Monday (Aug 4) he will substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil – a key source of revenue for Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.”
He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be.
Trump last week said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world’s fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty but gave no details.
Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump’s threats. The sources did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Trump’s heightened pressure on India comes after he signalled fresh sanctions on Moscow if it did not make progress by Friday towards a peace deal with Kyiv, more than three years since Russia’s invasion.
Moscow is anticipating talks with the US leader’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin this week.
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