The US President Donald Trump has announced plans to “very substantially” raise tariffs on Indian goods within the next 24 hours on Tuesday, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil. India hasn’t been a fair trading partner — they do a lot of business with us, but we don’t get the same in return, added the US President.
“They have the highest tariff of anybody … We settled on 25 per cent, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they’re buying Russian oil. They’re fueling the war machine,” he said in an interview with CNBC.
.@POTUS on India: “They have the highest tariff of anybody … We settled on 25%, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they’re buying Russian oil. They’re fueling the war machine.” pic.twitter.com/uoKojGlb5J
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 5, 2025
“They’re buying Russian oil and fueling the war machine. And if they are going to do that, I’m not going to be happy,” he added.
Trump escalated his criticism of India just a day after warning of a tariff hike, accusing the country of profiting from its energy ties with Moscow. He claimed that India is “buying massive amounts of Russian oil” and reselling it at a significant markup, making “big profits” in the process. On Monday, he said, “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine.” His remarks came just a day after he threatened to impose steep new tariffs on Indian goods, citing the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
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India’s Response
In a rare and strong rebuttal, India hit back at the US and the European Union, condemning their stance as “unjustified and unreasonable.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) firmly rejected the accusations, highlighting what it called the West’s double standards. It said that while India’s crude imports from Russia are a matter of national necessity, the US and EU have maintained far broader trade engagements with Moscow.
“Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” the MEA said in a statement on Monday evening. It pointed out that Europe’s imports from Russia extend beyond energy to include fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel, as well as machinery and transport equipment.
