Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Purchases

U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be focusing on India more than any other country in the world. In a word, all his actions seem to be directly targeting India. On one hand, he says that Indian Prime Minister Modi is a very good friend of his, but on the other hand, Donald Trump is creating a stir by imposing a series of tariffs on India. For purchasing oil from Russia, Trump has now imposed an additional 25% tariff on India. Including the already announced 25%, the total now comes to 50%. Trump mentioned in his executive order that the newly announced 25% tariffs will come into effect from August 27. If any agreement is reached between the two countries before then, fine. If not, India will have to pay 50% tariffs on exported goods. Trump is clearly unhappy with India maintaining close ties with Russia.

India is purchasing oil from Russia at cheaper prices and is re-selling it. Trump recently expressed frustration, alleging that India is making profits by selling this oil in the open market. He then announced that more tariffs would be imposed on India. He alleged that the oil India is buying is generating huge funds for Russia, and those very funds are being used by Russia to wage war on Ukraine. In this context, Trump has already declared the imposition of heavy tariffs on India. As part of that, Trump has now decided to impose another 25% tariff. Republican Party leaders are strongly opposing Trump's stance on India.

Party leader Nikki Haley even made key suggestions to Trump. She advised that the U.S. should not damage its relations with a strong ally like India. She questioned Trump on her X handle (formerly Twitter), asking: “Shouldn’t India buy oil from Russia, but China can?” She pointed out that China is buying the most oil from Russia. She cautioned Trump not to alienate a strong ally like India by granting many permissions to China while imposing retaliatory tariffs on India. The Congress Party has also responded to Trump’s recent announcement of another 25% tariff on India. It posted on X, saying that now at least Prime Minister Modi should gather courage and give a fitting reply to Trump’s actions. Taking a jibe, it said, “Modi’s friend has increased tariffs on India to 50%.”