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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned of more tariffs on India if it keeps buying Russian oil. This follows Trump’s 25% tariff on Indian imports and threats of more sanctions.
US President Donald Trump. (AP/File)
The US Treasury Secretary has warned that the Donald Trump administration could impose additional tariffs on India if New Delhi does not stop buying oil from Russia.
While speaking to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged European nations and other countries to join the US to impose higher tariffs on China and other nations that buy Russian energy.
He said sanctions “can go up” or “can be loosened” depending on the outcome of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
He further speculated that if the talks in Alaska on Friday fail to yield positive results, Washington may impose further secondary sanctions on New Delhi, in addition to already imposed 50% tariffs.
“The Europeans need to join us in these sanctions…They need to…It’s put up or shut up time,” Bessent said, adding, “We put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see if things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up.”
Bessent’s warning came after Trump threatened Putin of “severe consequences” if the Ukraine peace deal is not achieved in the Alaska talks.
Trump recently imposed a 25 per cent penalty on Indian imports and added an extra 25 per cent tariff on purchases of oil and weapons from Russia. The US administration has accused New Delhi of indirectly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The new tariff round is explicitly linked to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Trump’s executive order accused India of “directly or indirectly” importing energy from Moscow, thereby undermining Western efforts to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Trump had previously criticised India on social media, accusing it of profiting from Russian oil while disregarding the human toll in Ukraine.
While the reciprocal tariffs have come into force, the additional duties will take effect starting August 27.
Meanwhile, India has defended its energy strategy, saying that its crude oil purchases from Russia are “a necessity compelled by global market conditions” and not a political endorsement of Moscow.
It further asserted that the country will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.
“India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the statement said, underlining the country’s commitment to stable and affordable energy access for its citizens.
The MEA termed the levies as “unjustified and unreasonable” and called out the double standards of the United States and the European Union over their trade ties with Russia. The statement highlighted that the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry.
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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