Vance Admits Tariffs Are Just A Geopolitical Game With India A Pawn

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50 percent tariffs on imports from India was intended to create “aggressive economic leverage” to pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine.

“Trump has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example, secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy,” Vance told NBC News.

Vance expressed confidence that Washington can still play a role in brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though Trump now appears to recognize that geopolitics is not as easy as running a business in New York with blandishments and court cases.

The United States has criticized New Delhi for continuing to buy discounted Russian crude despite Western sanctions, arguing that the purchases help fund Moscow’s military campaign. India has rejected the charge, insisting its energy imports are based on national interest and market needs. Indian is also angry that the U.S. has not applied similar pressure on China and European countries, which remain among the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.