President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will impose a “substantially” higher tariff on India due to its continued purchases of Russian oil, as his administration steps up economic pressure on countries conducting business with Moscow.
Indian officials indicated over the weekend that they have no intention of halting oil imports from Russia, despite growing threats from Washington. India’s Russian oil imports surged from 68,000 barrels per day to more than 1.1 million in 2022 following the start of the Ukraine war.
“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”
The president added that, in response, he would “substantially” raise tariffs on Indian goods entering the U.S., though he did not specify by how much. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” he concluded.
Trump’s announcement comes on the heels of a previously unveiled 25% tariff targeting Indian goods, part of his broader “Liberation Day” initiative. India exported $87 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2024, including diamonds, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and petroleum products.
Trump has been increasing pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year. Last month, he threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on any country continuing to buy Russian oil, though he has yet to clarify whether that rate will apply to India.
Initially, Trump gave Russia a 50-day deadline to cease hostilities or face the tariffs. However, he shortened that timeline last week to just 10 to 12 days, citing ongoing Russian missile strikes and a lack of progress in ceasefire talks.
“We thought we had that settled numerous times,” Trump said. “And then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city, like Kyiv, and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever.”
“You have bodies lying all over the street,” he added. “And I said, ‘That’s not the way to do it.’”