US President Donald Trump on Thursday said a lot more 'secondary sanctions' are upcoming, after he was asked why India was singled out for penalties over doing business with Russia.
“It has only been eight hours, so let us see what happens over the next…. You are going to see a lot more. You are going to see so much secondary sanctions,” Trump said during a White House event.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated trade tensions with India by imposing an additional 25 per cent ad valorem duty above the 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs announced on August 1, raising the total tariff burden to 50 per cent, the highest imposed on any country, along with Brazil.
The move drew swift condemnation from New Delhi.
In a sharply worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “It is extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest.”
The MEA also described the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” and warned it would take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”
Trump, however, dismissed claims of selective enforcement when asked why countries such as China and Turkey, which also import large quantities of Russian oil, had not faced equivalent penalties.
“It may happen, I do not know, I cannot tell you yet,” he said. “We did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China.”
When asked on whether the new sanctions might be reversed in the event of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, “We will determine that later, but right now, they are paying a 50 per cent tariff.”
In the executive order, Trump said he has determined that "it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil".
"I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.
Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 per cent," Trump said in the executive order.
India, meanwhile, has emphasised that its oil imports are 'based on market factors' and geared toward 'ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people.'
