Trump official says 'no comparison' between US and India’s Russian imports

US India news

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled the possibility of imposing more “secondary sanctions,” just hours after announcing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, raising the total to 50%.

The tariff hike, justified by the US on national security grounds, targets India’s expanding energy trade with Russia. India has denounced the move as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”

Signed by Trump via Executive Order, the measure raises tariffs on Indian imports in two stages: the initial 25% takes effect on August 7, with the second phase following 21 days later. Goods already in transit or those covered under specific exemptions will not be affected.

A senior US administration official emphasized the scale of India’s energy trade with Russia, stating, while talking to ANI, “There is simply no comparison between the hundreds of billions of dollars of growing Indian imports of Russian oil, and the modest US imports of Russian goods.”

The White House described India’s rising oil imports from Russia as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. interests.

Another official remarked, “India has intentionally taken advantage of the war in Ukraine to dramatically increase its purchases of Russian crude.” The same official accused New Delhi of exploiting wartime conditions while defending America’s limited and strategic imports from Russia.

“We are aggressively working to create more domestic alternatives,” the official added, arguing that India’s continued crude purchases were unnecessary given the availability of “roughly 40 major crude providers.”

In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a strong rebuttal: “The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia. Our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people.”

Amid escalating tensions between US President Donald Trump and India over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, an old remark by former US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, has resurfaced, drawing attention to apparent contradictions in the US stance.

In the now widely shared video, Garcetti is heard acknowledging that Washington had encouraged India to buy Russian oil within a price cap framework to help stabilise global markets.

"They bought Russian oil because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil at a price cap. That was not a violation or anything. It was actually the design of the policy because, as a commodity, we didn't want the oil prices going up, and they fulfilled that," he said.