US may not impose extra 25% tariffs on India over Russian oil, suggests Trump

New Delhi- The Donald Trump administration may hold back on imposing secondary tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil, with the US President indicating that Moscow has already lost a key energy customer.

Speaking to Fox News aboard Air Force One while heading to Alaska, Trump said the US might not proceed with secondary sanctions on countries still buying Russian crude.

“Well, he (Vladimir Putin) lost an oil client, so to speak — India — which was doing about 40 per cent of the oil. China, as you know, is doing a lot…” Trump said.

“And if I did what’s called a secondary sanction, or a secondary tariff, it would be very devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I’ll do it. Maybe I won’t have to do it,” he added.

The secondary tariffs of 25 per cent on India are currently set to take effect from August 27.

Earlier this week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said that if talks between Trump and Putin at the Alaska summit failed, the US could raise secondary sanctions on India for its Russian oil imports.

India, however, has called such targeting “unjustified and unreasonable,” stressing that it will take all necessary steps to safeguard its national and economic interests.

At the same time, India has significantly boosted its energy trade with the US, helping reduce its trade surplus — a key goal of the Trump administration’s trade policy. Official data shows that India’s oil and gas imports from the US rose **51?tween January and June this year**, while LNG imports nearly doubled to **\$2.46 billion in FY 2024-25**, up from **\$1.41 billion in FY 2023-24**.

In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that India would increase US energy imports to **\$25 billion in 2025**, compared to **\$15 billion in 2024**, to help cut the US trade deficit. Following this, Indian state-owned energy firms began discussions for additional long-term supply deals with American companies.

New Delhi has also emphasized that it is diversifying energy sources to reduce reliance on Russian oil, while highlighting that India-US ties extend well beyond trade into a broader strategic partnership.

With inputs from IANS