US President Donald Trump has escalated economic pressure on India by imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, raising the total US tariff on Indian goods to 50%, citing national security and foreign policy concerns related to India's continued import of Russian oil.

This additional tariff will come into effect 21 days after the executive order signing, except on goods already in transit or with exemptions.

Trump stated that India’s imports of Russian oil, directly or indirectly, pose an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States. In response, India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned the move as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and affirmed that India will take all necessary actions to protect its national interests, emphasizing that India's energy imports are based on market factors aimed at securing energy for its 1.4 billion people.

At a White House press briefing, Trump signalled that similar secondary sanctions could be imposed on other countries involved in purchasing Russian oil, explicitly mentioning that one of these countries could be China.

Trump said, "We did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others, one of them could be China." When questioned on whether China might face similar additional tariffs, Trump responded, "Could happen. Depends on how we do.

Could happen," and hinted that more secondary sanctions are expected soon to pressure Russia’s economic relationships globally. Trump described the situation as evolving, mentioning, "It's only been 8 hours. So let's see what happens. You're going to see a lot more... You're going to see so much secondary sanctions".

The secondary sanctions aim to economically isolate Russia by penalizing countries continuing trade with it, particularly in energy. These sanctions could effectively impose duties up to 100% on goods imported from countries trading with Russia, potentially doubling prices and decreasing their competitiveness in the US market. China and India, as the largest buyers of Russian oil, would be most affected.

The US strategy appears to be part of a broader plan to deter nations from supporting Russia economically amid the ongoing conflict related to Ukraine.

India has publicly stated that its import of Russian oil is driven by national interest and market considerations and has pushed back against being singled out for harsh tariffs while many other nations also engage in similar trade. The Indian government considers these US tariffs as a punitive measure that disrupts the longstanding US-India strategic partnership and undermines Indian energy security.

President Trump has imposed increased tariffs on India and threatened similar punitive tariffs on China and possibly other countries as part of the US effort to curb Russian oil trade, with secondary sanctions aimed at isolating Russia economically. India has rejected the tariffs as unfair and is preparing countermeasures to defend its national interests.

Based On ANI Report