United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on imports from India, bringing the total tariff rate to 50 percent. The decision comes in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil despite ongoing international pressure amid the Ukraine conflict. In the executive order issued from the White House, Trump stated that the Indian government, directly or indirectly, continues to import oil from the Russian Federation. As a result, all articles of Indian origin imported into the United States will now be subjected to an additional ad valorem duty of 25 percent.
Trump defended the measure, stating it was both necessary and appropriate given India’s actions. The move follows several warnings from Trump, who previously said India’s trade practices were unfair and that the country was not a reliable partner. In a televised interview with CNBC, Trump criticized India’s engagement with Russia, asserting that by buying oil from Moscow, India was “fueling the war machine.” He emphasized that if India continues these purchases, the U.S. would respond with economic consequences.
This latest action by the White House intensifies pressure on New Delhi, which has so far resisted changing its energy policy. Indian officials have responded by calling the tariffs unjustified and highlighting the hypocrisy of the United States and European Union, who themselves continue to import select Russian goods including uranium, palladium, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals. India’s Ministry of External Affairs noted that, like any sovereign economy, it would take all measures necessary to safeguard its national interest and economic stability.
India is currently the world’s third-largest oil importer and the leading buyer of Russian seaborne crude. These imports have played a major role in financing Moscow’s war effort, according to U.S. officials. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, directly accused India of helping fund the war in Ukraine by maintaining energy ties with Russia.
The trade tensions come at a time when India and the U.S. are already experiencing a diplomatic chill. Although Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once publicly praised each other, ties have cooled in recent months. Trump’s criticism has escalated to the point where he referred to the Indian economy as “dead in the water” and dismissed New Delhi’s previous gestures of goodwill, including symbolic religious support and political campaigning in his favor by BJP-aligned groups.
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The tariff imposed on India surpasses those levied on several other nations under similar orders. For example, Vietnamese imports are now taxed at 20 percent, Indonesia at 19 percent, and Japanese and European Union goods at 15 percent. Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a trade agreement with Pakistan that would reduce tariffs on Pakistani exports—a move seen as particularly provocative in New Delhi following recent cross-border tensions.
India’s leadership has expressed frustration at Washington’s growing ties with Islamabad. Modi’s government also rejected Trump’s claim that he was behind the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Nonetheless, Trump continues to take credit for what he says was a result of his firm stance on trade and defense matters.
The tariff escalation signals a dramatic shift in the U.S.-India relationship, with potential consequences for global trade alignments, regional power balances, and Washington’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy.