'India kills us with tariffs': Trump boasts of sanctions on Delhi over Russian oil, warns of ‘phase two or three’

US President Donald Trump - File Photo

US President Donald Trump has once again targeted India over trade, branding it the “most tariffed nation” in the world and repeating his claim that New Delhi offered to eliminate tariffs altogether, a move he insisted would not have come without his tough stance. Trump claimed that India, like China and Brazil, “kills” the United States with tariffs.

Speaking on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump said, “China kills us with tariffs, India kills us with tariffs, Brazil kills us with tariffs. I’ve understood tariffs better than they did; I understood tariffs better than any human beings in the world. India was the most highly tariffed nation in the world, and you know what, they’ve offered me no tariffs in India anymore. No tariffs.” He added, “If I didn’t have tariffs, they would never make that offer. So you have to have tariffs.”

Trump said that tariffs gave the United States “tremendous negotiating power.” The Republican leader, who has made tariffs a central plank of both his economic and foreign policy, has repeated the “no tariff” claim on multiple occasions in recent weeks. In a recent Truth Social post, he had described trade with India as a “totally one-sided disaster,” claiming that India “sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client,’ but we sell them very little.”

India-US ties have been marred by tensions after Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on the country and then doubled it, taking US duties on Indian goods to 50 per cent over New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. India has categorically rejected Trump’s demand to halt its Russian crude oil deal, asserting that New Delhi makes decisions based on market dynamics and in the best interests of its people.

Separately, Trump said he put secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil and indicated that he has not done “phase two yet or phase three.” Participating in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with Poland's President Karol Nawrocki, Trump appeared irritated when he was asked by a Polish reporter about his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin but lack of action.

“How do you know there's no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, they're almost equal, would you say there was no action? That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven't done phase two yet or phase three. But when you say there's no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” Trump shot back at the Polish reporter.

Trump added, “Two weeks ago, I said, ‘If India buys, India's got big problems, and that's what happens. So, don't tell me about that.’” When asked about Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with Chinese President Xi Jinping at China's military parade and whether he is considering slapping secondary sanctions on Moscow, Trump said, “Well, I've already done that with regard to India, and we're doing it with regard to other things.” Trump has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 per cent levies for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 per cent, with effect from August 27.

India has maintained that trade negotiations are ongoing. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently noted that discussions with Washington were continuing to address differences and expressed hope that a bilateral trade agreement between the two nations would be concluded by November. Goyal said that “a little bit” of geopolitical issues overtook the trade matters in the negotiations for the pact between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed that India will not compromise on domestic priorities. “For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers,” PM Modi said. He also asserted that “pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it.”

Officials in New Delhi have pushed back against Trump’s repeated criticism of India’s oil imports from Russia, arguing that purchases are based on market considerations and aimed at securing affordable energy for its people.

India has called the tariffs imposed by the United States “unjustified and unreasonable” and said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.