Trump warns of ‘substantial hike’ in tariffs on India over Russian oil purchase

US President Donald Trump on Monday issued a fresh warning to India of increased tariffs over buying Russian oil. The threat comes just a week after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on India. In a new post in Truth Social, Trump cited India’s close ties with Russia as the key reason behind the tariff revision.

“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. 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!!!” Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump's post on Truth Social Photograph: ()

Trump had last week issued a verbal attack on Truth Social targeting India, and called on both New Delhi and Moscow to “take their dead economies and go down together”.

“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump said in the post on Truth Social. “We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," he added.

‘We desire a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few’

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday reiterated the need for a fair and multipolar global order, saying, “Our collective desire is to see a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few.” Jaishankar made the remarks amid global trade tensions, including US tariff threats and pressure on India’s oil trade with Russia.

Speaking at the BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival in Delhi titled ‘SaptaSur: Seven Nations, One Melody’, Jaishankar linked cultural traditions to the broader vision of global balance. “We live in complicated and uncertain times. Our collective desire is to see a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few. That quest is often articulated as political or economic rebalancing,” he said.

While Jaishankar’s remarks did not refer directly to the economic and diplomatic challenges, including concerns over possible US tariffs and warnings related to India’s ongoing oil trade with Russia, his emphasis on sovereignty, tradition, and multipolarity echoed India’s current diplomatic positioning.