Trump Knocks India Over Russian Oil Trade, Vows Higher Tariff

United States President Donald Trump has accused India of profiting off Russian oil sales amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and threatened to impose higher tariffs on Indian imports if he returns to office.

In a fiery post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump claimed India was reselling Russian oil for massive profits while turning a blind eye to the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“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.

“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

Trump’s remarks came amid growing scrutiny over India’s continued energy ties with Russia.

Since the start of the war in February 2022, India has significantly ramped up its imports of discounted Russian crude, reportedly becoming one of Moscow’s top oil customers.

However, India has defended its purchases, arguing that it was acting in the best interest of its energy security and economic stability.

Responding to Western criticism in the past, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said, “We don’t send people out there saying buy Russian oil, we send people out there saying go buy oil. Now, you buy the best oil you can in the market. I don’t think I would attach a political messaging to that. A country like India has to look after its own interests.”

India has also pointed out that it is not alone in continuing trade with Russia. At the India Energy Week earlier this year, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri noted that “Europe in the same period has bought six times the energy from Russia that India has. But when we do it, there’s a geopolitical narrative.”