India Rejects US Tariffs on Russian Oil, Cites Double Standard

India's foreign ministry has reacted strongly to President Trump's threat to impose additional tariffs on the country, calling the move "unjustified and unreasonable." The ministry said India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security, highlighting that the country had expanded its imports of Russian oil after traditional supplies were diverted to Europe following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Indian officials maintain that they had not given any direction to oil companies to cut back imports from Russia, and that the US had actively encouraged such imports for strengthening global energy markets stability.

Key Takeaways:

• India's foreign ministry has rejected the US's threat to impose additional tariffs on the country, calling it "unjustified and unreasonable."
• India had expanded its imports of Russian oil after traditional supplies were diverted to Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• Indian officials said they had not given any direction to oil companies to cut back imports from Russia.
• The US had actively encouraged India to import Russian oil to strengthen global energy markets stability.
• President Trump's move is seen as a pressure tactic for negotiations between the US and India over a bilateral trade agreement.
• The Indian government views Trump's claims that he ended a military escalation between India and Pakistan as a personal issue.
• China and Turkey, two other major importers of Russian oil, have not faced similar penalties from the US.

Statistics:

• India relies on imports for nearly 90 percent of its oil.
• The European Union's trade in goods and services with Russia stood at around 84 billion euros ($97 billion) in 2024.
• The US had encouraged India to import Russian oil to strengthen global energy markets stability.
• India's oil imports from Russia have increased after traditional supplies were diverted to Europe.

Sources:

• [Indian foreign ministry statement exact as it appears in the original text]
• Eric Garcetti, "They bought Russian oil because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil at a price cap; that was not a violation," (exact quote as mentioned in the original text)
• Sumit Dayal, Bloomberg (author and photographer)
• [The New York Times, "India’s Foreign Ministry Rebukes Trump’s Threat on Russian Oil" (unnamed author)]