India gives sharp response to Trump's threat of significantly raising tariff
This story was originally published at 06:00 IST on 5 August 2025
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NEW DELHI – In a sharp retort, India on Monday said it has been targeted by the US and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. "India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability," Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement.
This came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened that he would "substantially" raise tariffs on Indian goods being shipped to the US for the Asian country's continued energy procurement from Russia. "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 had written in a post on Truth Social.
"India's imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," India's foreign ministry statement said.
On Wednesday Trump had announced that the US will impose 25% tariffs on Indian goods shipped to the country, along with an additional penalty. The 25% tariff is only slightly lower than the 26% duty that Trump had announced in April.
The statement also highlighed that the EU in 2024 had a bilateral trade of euro 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at euro 17.2 billion in 2023. This is significantly more than India's total trade with Russia that year or subsequently, the ministry said. "European imports of Liquefied Natural Gas in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5mn tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21mn tonnes in 2022," it said.
The US continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its electric vehicle industry, fertilisers as well as chemicals. "In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the foreign ministry spokesperson said. End
Reported by Sagar Sen
Edited by Avishek Dutta
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