On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the confusion surrounding his recent tariff threats against countries that continue to trade with Russia. During a press conference, he clarified that he has never specified a precise rate for these tariffs, despite earlier statements that hinted at a much higher percentage.
“I never said a percentage, but we’ll be doing quite a bit of that,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens over the next fairly short period of time. But we will see what happens…”
This statement comes just days after the President specifically targeted India for its continued purchase of oil and weapons from Russia, branding the country as Russia’s “largest buyer of energy.” He had already imposed a 25% tariff on India and hinted at further penalties.
When asked directly about his previous threat of imposing “100% tariffs” on countries, including India and China, that buy Russian energy, Trump remained non-committal. Instead, he announced a scheduled meeting with Russian officials on Wednesday, stating that a decision on potential secondary sanctions would be made after that discussion. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia for these meetings.
This marks a shift from his previous hardline stance. Last month, Trump had publicly threatened 100% tariffs on Russia and “secondary tariffs” on its trading partners if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days. However, when his August 1 deadline for reciprocal tariffs passed, he announced the 25% tariff on Indian imports without providing clear details on any further penalties.
India, for its part, has defended its trade with Russia by pointing to the U.S.’s own significant trade with Moscow in goods like uranium hexafluoride, fertilizers, and chemicals. When this argument was brought up during the press conference, Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it, I’d have to check, but we’ll get back to you on that.”
Despite the imminent prospect of tariffs, India and Russia have lately reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral defense cooperation. According to media, this was a key point of discussion between Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister, Colonel-General Alexander Fomin. A statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that both sides intend to “further strengthen relevant cooperation in the spirit of particularly privileged strategic partnership.”
In response to Trump’s 25% tariff, India’s foreign ministry issued a statement defending its energy trade with Russia. The ministry explained that India began increasing its oil imports from Russia because traditional supply sources were diverted to Europe following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The ministry further claimed that “The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”
According to a Reuters report, India remains a vital energy partner for Russia, having purchased a staggering $50.2 billion in oil during the 2024-25 fiscal year.