Trump Again Threatens To Raise Tariffs On India

Photo: Reuters

WASHINGTON, D.C.- President Donald Trump on August 4 threatened to substantially raise tariffs on India for purchasing oil from Russia.

In a post, Trump, however, did not elaborate on what kind of tariffs those would be.

“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. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” Trump wrote in his social media post.

“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” he added.

Earlier, Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s most influential advisors, said that the US President clearly believes India should stop buying Russian oil.

He, however, said that Trump’s relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “tremendous”.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week that “You are aware of our broad approach to energy sourcing requirements, that we look at what is available in the market and the prevailing global situation. We are not aware of any specifics”.

India sources its oil purchases based on global market offerings to meet its energy needs.

“Our ties with any country stand on their merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. As far as India-Russia relations are concerned, we have a steady and time-tested partnership,” said the MEA spokesperson. (IANS)