‘To end Russia-Ukraine war...’: Lutnick defends Trump's sweeping tariffs amid legal logjam, mentions India’s Russian oil purchase
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘To end Russia-Ukraine war...’: Lutnick defends Trump's sweeping tariffs amid legal logjam, mentions India’s Russian oil purchase")
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 19, 2025 as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (L) looks on. Photograph: (AFP)
This comes amid the US Supreme Court hearings that are underway over the legal status of the sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump has asked India to stop purchasing oil from Russia, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. This comes amid the US Supreme Court hearings that are underway over the legal status of the sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Lutnick said that the court will rule in favour of the US president’s policies despite scepticism from some justices.
“The President is using these tariffs to end the war in Russia and Ukraine. He has told India to stop buying (Russian) oil. If you take these (IEEPA) powers away from the President, he can’t make the world and the United States of America a safer place," Lutnick said on Fox News.
“I think the Justices know it, they know the law. It was crystal clear if you sat through the second half of today, the President of the USA, Donald Trump, is going to win this case. These powers protect America,” he added.
Lutnick’s remarks come as the US Supreme Court started hearings on the legality of sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump. The US president used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which is only invoked in case of a national emergency. While the law allows a US president to regulate economic transactions under IEEPA, it does not explicitly mention tariffs.
Reuters reported that the Supreme Court justices remained unconvinced after hearing arguements from the Trump administration on Wednesday (Nov 5).
“All the court’s justices, barring two, seemed sceptical that IEEPA gives President Trump the power to levy unlimited tariffs on every product imported from every country around the world,” Damon Pike, a principal with BDO USA’s customs and trade services practice, told the news agency.
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While Trump’s tariff policies have been challenged by businesses and 12 Democrat-led states, the administration defended by saying that they generated about $89 billion in revenue between February and September, adding that they were intended to address national emergencies such as trade imbalances and drug trafficking.
The US president imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s Russian oil purchases. Recently, he claimed that India agreed to cut its crude imports under new US sanctions. However, India has firmly denied the statement, insisting that the country’s energy policy is driven by national interest and economic considerations.
