The United States and India are locked in a tariff battle over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, a dispute that has strained trade talks between the two countries.
Since the war in Ukraine began, Western nations have sought to curb Moscow’s energy revenues. While earlier US administrations avoided direct confrontation with India, President Donald Trump has taken a harder line. His administration-imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian goods, with half of that penalty tied directly to India’s oil trade with Russia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded defiantly, declaring that India would not bow to outside pressure. Yet US trade officials have suggested that India is already beginning to scale back its reliance on Russian crude.
The tariff war nearly derailed bilateral trade negotiations, but both sides have recently returned to the table. Still, tensions remain high as Russia closely monitors the situation. President Vladimir Putin warned that rejecting Russian energy would ultimately harm India, insisting that the Indian people would not tolerate humiliation or submission to foreign demands.
Trump, however, has accused India of helping to finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to buy its oil. He argues that halting the trade is essential to ending the conflict.
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