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Vance said that such a measure was part of Washington’s plan to make it difficult for Russia to collect high revenues from its oil trade.
US Vice President JD Vance. (File photo)
US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said Donald Trump imposed secondary tariffs on India as “aggressive economic leverage” aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Vance told NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ that such a measure was part of Washington’s plan to make it difficult for Russia to collect high revenues from its oil trade.
“Trump has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy,” Vance said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly voiced opposition to India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil, yet it has notably avoided criticising China, the largest buyer of Moscow’s crude.
India has consistently defended its purchase of Russian oil, stressing that the decisions are guided by national interest and market realities.
During the interview, Welker asked, “The question is, if the US is not imposing new sanctions, what is the pressure on Russia? How do you get them to a place of getting to the table with Zelenskyy and stopping to drop bombs?”
In response, Vance said Trump’s tariff move was a calculated effort to drive Moscow toward talks.
“He tried to make it clear that Russia can be reinvented into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they are going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” Vance explained.
According to a PTI report citing NBC News, Vance voiced confidence in America’s ability to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, even as challenges emerged following President Trump’s recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks,” Vance said during the interview.
After Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent — including an additional 25 per cent duty on New Delhi’s Russian crude imports — ties between India and the United States have grown increasingly strained.
Washington argues that India’s continued purchase of Russian oil is helping fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a charge that New Delhi has strongly rejected.
On Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hit back at the United States and Europe over the newly imposed tariffs on Indian exports, stressing that India was not forcing anyone to purchase its refined oil or petroleum products.
“It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” Jaishankar remarked.
“That’s really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” he added.
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be…Read More
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be… Read More
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