‘Don’t burn relationship with India’: Nikki Haley defends India, accuses Trump of favouring China amid tariff threats

Republican Leader and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday (August 5) criticised US President Donald Trump for threatening India over the purchase of Russian oil, as he said to impose 25 per cent tariffs plus penalties, while giving China a pass for the same reason.

In a post on X, Nikki Haley stressed that Trump’s move to impose tariffs on India for buying Russian oil could impact US-India relations.

She further said that not just India, but also China, is a number one buyer of Russian oil, but got a pass as the US gave it a 90-day tariff pause.

“India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India,” Haley wrote in her post on X.

Trump last week also imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India, along with penalties for arms trading with Russia, as well as oil imports. Later, on Monday (Aug 4), Trump issued a fresh threat of a “substantial hike” in trade duties on India for buying Russian oil and “selling it on the open market for big profits”.

Following the statements made by the US president, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict.”

India even stated that the US had earlier actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening the stability of global energy markets.

“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 statement added.

Earlier today, the Kremlin slammed Trump's threats to raise tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, calling it "illegal". Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, while speaking to reporters, said that it was unacceptable to force countries to stop trading with Russia.

Peskov further stressed that sovereign nations can choose their trading partners. “Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.