Trump said he had received additional information and advice from officials regarding India's efforts to address the national emergency and a commitment to stop direct or indirect oil imports from Russia.
He also noted that India will buy energy products from the US and recently committed to an agreement with Washington to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years.
At the same time, the document states that the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury and any other designated official, should monitor the likely restoration of India's imports of Russian oil. If that happens, the latter should advise Trump whether and to what extent he needs to take additional action on India, including whether he needs to reimpose an additional ad valorem tariff of 25% on imports of Indian goods.
Reuters recalled that India is largely dependent on oil imports, including cheap Russian raw materials. However, recently, according to the agency, India has begun to slow down its purchases from Russia. They stood at about 1.2 million barrels per day in January and are forecast to fall to about 1 million barrels per day in February and 800,000 barrels per day in March, the article said.
Context
Despite Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, New Delhi maintains close ties with Moscow. In particular, India remains one of the main importers of Russian weapons and oil. According to Reuters, as of August 2025, India was buying about 1.75 million barrels of Russian crude oil daily, which helps the Kremlin finance its military action against Ukraine.
On July 30, Trump announced the introduction of a 25 percent tariff on all Indian goods due to New Delhi's cooperation with Moscow. On August 6, he raised tariffs to 50%, accusing India of indifference to victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The Indian Foreign Ministry called American sanctions “unjustified” and announced its intention to protect national interests. Modi announced his readiness to “pay a high price” for maintaining trade relations with the Russian Federation and called the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin a “friend.”
In November 2025, RosSMI was informed that the Russian Federation was selling oil at the largest discounts since the beginning of the year. After the tightening of sanctions, the main buyers of Russian raw materials – India and China – “are cautious about new agreements.” According to Bloomberg, oil from the Russian Federation has been abandoned most refineries in India.
On February 2, 2026, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured him that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil, significantly increase purchases of American goods, and reduce tariffs on US goods.
At the same time, CNBC on February 3, citing data from the analytical company Kpler, wrote that, despite Trump’s statements, vessels of the “shadow fleet” continue to unload Russian oil at Indian ports.
