Trump to target India with higher tariffs over Russian oil; New Delhi slams US, EU double standards
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would increase the tariff charged on Indian imports from the current rate of 25% “very substantially” over the next 24 hours, given India’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
“They’re fueling the war machine, and if they’re going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy,” Trump told CNBC in an interview, adding that the main sticking point with India was that its tariffs were too high.
Meanwhile, India has sharply criticised the United States and the European Union, saying it is being unfairly singled out by them over its Russian oil purchases when they both trade extensively with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress on Tuesday condemned Trump’s repeated criticism of New Delhi.
India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late on Monday that “it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia”.
“It is unjustified to single out India,” the ministry said. It added that the EU conducted 67.5 billion euros ($78.02 billion) in trade with Russia in 2024, including record imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) reaching 16.5 million metric tons.
The United States, the statement said, continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for use in its nuclear power industry, palladium, fertilisers and chemicals. It did not give a source for the export information.
