In a fresh escalation of tensions, US President Donald Trump on Monday said he will "substantially" raise the tariff paid by India to America, accusing New Delhi of profiting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
"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," Trump said in a social media post.
"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," he added.
Trump's statements came a day after his top aide accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to purchase oil from Moscow, and escalated pressure on New Delhi to halt such imports.
“What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia,” said Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House and one of Trump’s most influential aides, reported Reuters.
On July 30, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods and warned of further penalties over India's purchases of Russian arms and oil.
Immediately following the tariff announcement, Trump launched a blistering attack on New Delhi’s ties with Moscow, dismissing both countries as “dead economies” and bluntly stating that he “does not care” what India does with Russia.
Trump also said he would consider imposing steep tariffs, as high as 100% on imports from any country that continues to buy oil from Russia, unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal with Ukraine.
Reacting to Trump's sweeping tariffs on different countries, Russia on Monday accused the US administration of pursuing a "neocolonial" policy against Global South nations to maintain Washington's hegemony, and expressed its willingness to boost cooperation with these countries to form a "truly multilateral" and equal world order.
Calling sanctions and restrictions a "regrettable reality" of today's historical stage that affects the entire world, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the US cannot come to terms with the "loss of hegemony in the emerging world order."