At the end of July, Donald Trump announced that as part of the latest Customs round He will impose an indefinite additional penalty on India if they do not suspend the import of Russian oil. On Monday, the US president once again took the floor.
“India not only buy huge amounts of Russian oil, but also, for a significant part of it, sell it on the free market with a lot of profit. They do not care how many people in Ukraine die at the hands of the Russian war machine. For this reason I will significantly raise the duty paid by India to the United States” – wrote the American leader on his Truth Social platform.
India clearly increased the purchases of Russian oil since the beginning of aggression in Ukraine in 2022. Russia currently provides over a third of Indian oil imports – compared to less percent before the war. India is the second largest importer of Russian oil after China.
“NYT”: India will continue to buy Russian oil, despite Trump threats
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that India continues to buy cheap oil from Russia, despite the threat of penalties from the US President Donald Trump. One of the Indian officials pointed out that the government “did not give oil companies any commands” regarding the reduction of imports from Russia.
“Some officials and analysts say that Trump's focusing on the purchase of Russian oil by India can be a negotiating tactic, because India and the United States are trying to finalize the preliminary stages of a double -sided trade agreement. China and Turkey, two other significant importers of Russian oil, did not meet with similar threats from the part of Washington.” “NYT”.
